


In Between

by Jld71



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alpha Jared Padalecki, Bottom Jensen Ackles, Human Jensen Ackles, Hurt Jensen Ackles, M/M, Protective Jared Padalecki, Top Jared Padalecki, Were-Creatures, shifting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-10
Updated: 2019-11-10
Packaged: 2021-01-27 02:28:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 29,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21384577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jld71/pseuds/Jld71
Summary: Jensen is discovered on packlands and taken back to Jared’s cabin to heal. Alpha Jared figures out that not only is Jensen his mate, he’s not exactly human either, he’s something in between.
Comments: 32
Kudos: 386





	In Between

**Author's Note:**

> Do Not Re-Post Without My Written Permission - Only To Be Posted On My AO3 Or LiveJournal Accounts.
> 
> Author’s notes: Words in italics indicates mindspeak between characters or internally to themselves.  
Artwork by: bluefire986  
LJ: https://bluefire986.livejournal.com/21105.html  
Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21382123

Hearing the familiar whines, wearily, Jared rose to his feet from his soft bed, tossing down his book in order to find out what had his wolves so riled up. He crossed the short distance from his bed to the cabin’s door, and looked longingly over his shoulder, wanting to return to the warmth and sanctity of his bed. He loved that damn bed and he had been enjoying the book he had picked up a few days ago when he had made the trek into town for supplies. It wasn’t often he had a chance to settle back in his small cabin to read and he had been looking forward to it. Many nights, after walking the perimeter of his lands, making sure that his pack was safe, he was too tired to partake in the frivolous act of taking time for himself. 

He heard the familiar whines and soft scratching at his door as he placed his hand on the doorknob and pulled it open to find two of his packmates awaiting his appearance. Both wolves looked up at him, cocked their heads to the side and yipped at him in distress. He shook his head at them as he placed his hands on his hips and then looked them over. Neither seemed to be hurt and prior to him settling in for the night, they had roved the lands, scent marking to ward off would-be intruders. He knew there hadn’t been a threat to their safety, no one around these parts was stupid enough to trespass on his lands. He narrowed his eyes and scented the air, knowing his pack betas, his seconds in command, wouldn’t be here if something wasn’t amiss on their lands. Even with his keen sense of smell he didn’t notice anything different from the normal scents wafting through the air. If there was something to worry about, it was farther out, most likely at the border of his land and that of the humans. Every now and then a human would wander into their territory, either by accident or on a dare. Usually it was the local teenagers trying to prove their worth by venturing onto their lands, seeing how long they could last before getting spooked and hightailing it back to the safety of their beds. Sometimes it was a lost hiker they would lead back to the trails they had strayed from. But whatever this was, had the wolves on alert enough that they felt the need to inform their alpha of the situation.

For the most part, his pack lived in harmony with the human locals. They kept their distance from one another and were respectful of each other’s way of life. Jared and his pack stayed away from non-pack members as much as possible, not wanting to draw attention to themselves. They lived off the land, growing what they could and only making the hour drive into town when they needed something they couldn’t provide for themselves. A few of the pack members worked in town; there was no way around that, they couldn’t totally cut themselves off from civilization. They weren’t barbaric; some members, like himself, had built their own cabins, preferring to have some small creatures of comforts, while others chose to create their own dens. He never made them choose one over the other. As long as his pack was happy, it made no difference to him. He enjoyed running water and electricity and was loath to give those up. Plus, he needed the electricity in order to write. There was no way he could be a successful, yet reclusive author without electricity, his cell phone and his laptop. The money he made from his books helped support his pack, which was important to him. 

“Well, explain yourselves,” Jared said and waited for one of his packmates to either shift or mindspeak with him. He looked at the blond - bordering on yellow - wolf first and then to the tawny brown wolf.

Slowly the blond wolf stepped forward, his tail held down and his head lowered in submission.  _ “Alpha, we have found something on our lands that you need to be aware of,” _ Chad explained as he pawed at the ground in agitation. 

The tawny brown wolf huffed at them both and then turned to start back in the direction they had come from. He stopped and glanced over his shoulder to see if he was being followed. He huffed in irritation.  _ “You need to see this, not just be aware of . . .”  _ Christian started to say before he was cut off by a growl.

Jared growled, cutting off his beta from further explanation as he closed the door to his cabin and made his way down the few steps. “Show me,” he gritted out and followed the two wolves. He chose to remain in his human form, his instinct telling him it would be better for him if he did. He wasn’t as fast on his human legs as he was when he was in his wolf form, and he trailed after the two wolves, but they made good time. He stopped to scent the air a mile out from his cabin. There was something foreign in the air, it smelled of being human, but not. He quickened his pace and stopped abruptly when he came closer to the source. He watched as Christian and Chad circled around an unconscious man lying on the ground on his right side, just inside his pack’s territory. “Shit,” he breathed out as he stalked closer. He could feel his teeth and claws extending, his body on the ready should he need to fight, to defend his pack and their lands. “ _ Circle around and make sure there are no others hiding. This could be an ambush.” _ After issuing his command, he watched as the two betas stalked off to fulfill his order. 

Jared stalked over the man and crouched down to examine him. Seeing that he wasn’t a threat, he relaxed enough to withdraw his teeth and claws. He could hear the man’s labored breathing and the steady beating of his heart. He was relieved that the man was alive, as he didn’t want to have to deal with a dead human on his packlands. He reached out to touch the man, to gently roll him over and felt a jolt of electricity hit him. He quickly pulled his hand away and shook it as if he had actually been electrocuted. He reached out again, this time tentatively in case it happened again. To his relief, it didn’t, but this time the man gave a choked off moan of pain. “Okay, I’m not sure if you can hear me, but you’re safe. I’m just gonna roll you over so I can see how badly you’ve been hurt.” 

As gently as he could, Jared rolled the man over onto his back so he could check his injuries. He sucked in a sharp breath when he saw that the man had been beaten. “And they call us animals,” he mumbled as his eyes raked over the injuries. The man’s right eye was swollen and his top lip had been split open. He was covered in dirt which hindered Jared’s observation of any other injuries, but he could guess that there were probably more judging by the state he was in. His clothes had been ripped, most likely from trying to defend himself, Jared thought as he sat back on his haunches. “What am I going to do with you?” He reached out his hand, turned the man’s head to the left and felt another jolt of electricity when his fingers touched the man’s skin. He looked down at the man and shook his head. “You’re not a wolf, but you’re not human, either. You’re something in between.” He closed his eyes as he tried to gather his thoughts and heard his wolf whining to get out.  _ Mate _ it whimpered at Jared.  _ It’s not possible _ , Jared responded, trying to soothe his other side.  _ Mate _ , his wolf growled back at him, letting him know that was the end of their exchange. 

“Shit,” he muttered as he looked at the unconscious man. Was it possible? Could this stranger be his mate? He had felt the pull to the man, but thought it was just the alpha in him and the desire to protect someone who had been hurt. He didn’t know what to think about the matter, he just knew that the man was hurt and needed to be cared for. The rest he’d figure out later. “Well, I can’t just leave you here,” he said to the unconscious man before shuffling closer to him. He heard Christian and Chad making their way back to him as he reached down, placed a hand at the base of the man’s head and the other under his knees and lifted him effortlessly, thankful for his heightened strength. 

_ “What the hell are you doing?” _ Christian questioned as he watched Jared gather the man in his arms and started to walk back in the direction they had come from.

_ “You’re going the wrong way,” _ Chad called out, astonished to see that Jared was clearly taking the human with him.  _ “No, go the other way, it’s only a couple of feet that way and you can toss him back where he belongs, with the humans.” _

Jared ignored the two wolves as he started for his cabin. He could have tossed the human over the border and back onto the human side to let him fend for himself, but he couldn’t; there was something about the man that wouldn’t let him do that. There was something about the man that called to him and he couldn’t ignore it. Maybe his wolf was right, maybe this man, whatever he was, was his mate. He didn’t know, but he knew he had to find out.

Chad ran ahead of Jared with the intention of stopping him. He saw the determined look on the alpha’s face and knew his efforts would be useless. It wasn’t that he didn’t like humans, he did, just as long as they stayed where they belonged and that was safely on their side of the border. He stopped in front of the stairs leading up to Jared’s cabin door, trying to get Jared to turn back.

Jared glared at Chad from over the man in his arms. “Make yourself useful and open the door or get the fuck out of my way,” Jared huffed out as he shifted the dead weight in his arms.

Chad quickly shifted to his human form and bounded, naked, up the four steps that led to the front door of Jared’s cabin. With a hand on the doorknob he turned back to Jared, “Are you sure?” he questioned and was met with an angry snarl from Jared. He turned the knob and pushed the door open, not daring to tempt fate with the way Jared was acting. He stepped out of the way as Jared passed him and watched as Jared carried the man inside and placed him on his bed. 

“Have you lost your mind?” Christian asked as he stood in the doorway watching Jared. 

“Either come in and close the door or get out,” Jared growled. He felt his anger rising from being questioned twice now by his betas. He heard the soft click of the door and then two sets of footfalls as Christian and Chad came closer. “Don’t question me again.” He turned his normally hazel eyes on them, letting them flash red as his alpha side started to rise to the surface in anger. 

Despite being naked, Christian stepped forward with his head held high and his shoulders set in firm determination. “Jared, we respect your decision as our alpha. We’re just worried about the safety of the pack. We have no idea who this man is, what happened to him or why. He could draw unwanted attention to us.”

“Just think about what Christian said,” Chad urged. “We have to protect the pack. We have defenseless pups to worry about.” 

“I will.” Jared turned his attention to the two men, standing naked in his cabin. Most would have been shocked by their display of nudity. Being naked was just a way of life in their pack; they were born naked, spent time naked, and when a pack member passed, he or she was returned to the Earth naked. “I have always put the good of the pack above everything else. But this time, I feel a pull to this man. He’s not human, and he’s not one of us. He’s something in between, he’s been hurt and he needs to be cared for. I won’t turn my back on him. He’s under my protection. Is that understood?”

“Yes, Alpha,” both men responded in unison. 

“Good, make sure the rest of the pack is aware of this. He is not to be harmed in any way by our pack. I want the patrols of our borders doubled, and no one is to go out alone. Not until we know what happened and that there isn’t a threat to our safety on the horizon.” 

“What are you going to do with him?” Chad asked, hoping his question wouldn’t further fuel Jared’s anger.

“Give him time to heal. If he doesn’t wake up in a day or two, I’ll take a ride into town and ask around. Maybe someone there knows something,” Jared explained as he turned away from the man to look at Chad and Christian. 

“We’ll do another patrol before tuning in for the night. Come on, let’s go,” Christian said as he nudged Chad in the direction of the door. “We’ll set up a schedule for those able to patrol.”

“Make sure you stay safe,” Chad mumbled over his shoulder as he left, closing the door behind him. 

Jared looked at the unconscious man in his bed. Who was he? Why had he been found on his land? Who had beaten him and dumped him where he would surely be found by a pack member out on patrol and why? Did he pose a threat to his pack? Why did he feel such a pull to this stranger? He had so many questions, none of which were going to be answered by the unconscious man, at least not that night. He reached out and patted the man down, hoping to find a wallet, any type of identification that would clue him in to who or what he was dealing with. Finding none, he sighed wearily. “Just who are you and what kind of trouble did you get yourself into?” When he didn’t receive an answer, he shook his head, “So, you’re not gonna make this easy are you?” He was met with silence again. “Yeah, I thought so,” he grumbled as he turned away from the man.

He made his way over to the small kitchen, grabbed a bowl, filled it with warm soapy water and placed it on the floor by his bed before walking into his bathroom to grab a washcloth and towel. When he returned, he sat on the edge of the bed, picked up the bowl and began to clean the man’s face so he could get a better look at the damage that had been done to him. He discovered pale freckled skin under the dirt along with bruises around his right eye, running down the side of his face and what looked like bruises from someone’s fingers grasping his chin. He felt a flash of anger at seeing that and had to force himself to remain calm. His wolf was close to the surface, whining in protest at being kept at bay. He closed his eyes and took several steadying breaths, hoping he had himself under control enough to finish tending to the injuries of the man who was now in his care. 

When he was sure he would be able to continue, he stripped the man of his torn shirts to check for injuries. He found more bruises littering the pale freckled skin, but no open wounds. He worked his fingers over the man’s chest and abdomen checking for any broken ribs or signs of trauma. Finding none, he rolled him onto his side to get a look at his back. He felt his anger rise when he saw a boot print on his lower left side, it was a clear indication that someone had held the man down by stepping on him. He wanted to find who had done this and break them in half, but knowing that the person would most likely be human meant he was off limits to Jared. Still, if he had a chance to make the man’s attacker pay, he would. Forcing those thoughts aside, Jared ran his fingers over the bruised area. Satisfied that was the only injury, he picked up the cloth and washed down the man’s back and dried his skin before rolling him over to wash down his chest and arms. He got up once to rinse off the washcloth, dump out the dirty water, and replace it with clean warm soapy water before cleaning the rest of the man’s body. He worked off his boots, socks and jeans, leaving him in his boxer briefs for some modicum of decency. He inspected the man’s legs to find a few more bruises, but nothing else before he finished washing him down and cleaning up. After that, he pulled out his cell phone and took a few pictures of the unconscious man lying on his bed, just in case he did need to take a ride into town to get some answers. He eyed the discarded clothing. Knowing they were a lost cause, he picked them up and tossed them in the trash. 

He turned back to his bed and gave it a forlorn look before turning his attention to his couch. He grimaced at the thought of trying to sleep on the damn thing. It was great as a couch and he regularly sat there with his laptop to write, but sleeping on it was out of the question. When he had in the past, he had woken up feeling like his 6’4” body had been subjected to a torture device. With another heavy sigh, he toed off his boots and lowered himself onto the couch with his book. Maybe he could lose himself in the story and forget about everything for a while. A half hour later, Jared tossed his book aside, knowing that it was pointless. He couldn’t concentrate and had just read the same page three times and the whining coming from his wolf hadn’t been helping. He knew what it wanted, and he was having a hard time denying it.  _ Mate, must comfort our mate _ , his wolf whined.  _ Please, must protect _ , his wolf begged. “Damn it,” he muttered, because he felt it in his very bones and he knew he had been trying to deny it up until now. Whoever the man was lying in his bed was his mate. “Fine,” he huffed out, giving in to the inevitable and stripped off his clothes. Within moments he had shifted from his human form to that of his wolf, full of sleek muscles and black fur. 

Jared paced back and forth in front of the bed before moving off to inspect every inch of the cabin. He knew it was secure, one of the safest cabins, but that knowledge didn’t stop him from nosing along every nook and cranny until he was satisfied that there wasn’t a threat to him or his mate. Once done, he padded over to the bed to stand guard over it. He cocked his head to the side when he heard a soft noise coming from the bed, more specifically his mate. He hated that he didn’t know the man’s name and could only call him  _ mate _ , but in time he would find the answer to that and his other questions. Cautiously he inched toward the bed to nose at his mate, needing to make sure he was alright. He watched as the man shifted on the bed and took a step forward to him, wanting to know what was happening. He saw the man’s eyes open, and even in the low light of the cabin, he could see that they were a vivid green in color. The man was captivating and he couldn’t stop himself from touching him.

Jensen stirred on the bed as he opened his eyes briefly and tried to look around. His head was pounding, making it difficult for him to focus on his surroundings and he groaned from the pain. He didn’t recognize where he was, but he could tell he was lying on a soft bed. Movement drew his attention and he forced himself to lie still. Fear was coursing through his body. Where was he? Had he been abducted? The last thing he remembered was driving back to his aunt’s place, getting out of his truck and then everything had gone dark. He heard a sound and sucked in a breath. Something brushed up against the bed and then him, causing him to realize he didn’t have a shirt on. Whatever it had been that touched him had been soft. He felt something wet and cold nudge at his hand; he wanted to pull his hand away, but was too afraid to move. He felt the bed move and then two red eyes were peering down at him. He gasped when his brain registered that between his legs stood a large wolf. Its fur was as black as midnight, and from what he could make out, it was clearly male. The wolf moved closer to him, placing its front paws on either side of his hips and seemed to be watching him. He forced himself to remain still as the wolf inched closer to his neck, sniffing along his jaw and then it pulled back as if it was regarding him. The word  _ Alpha _ popped into his brain and he shifted his head to bare his neck to the wolf. He saw sharp teeth as the wolf pulled his lips back from its strong jaw and he heard a low growl emanating from the wolf’s powerful chest before the wolf moved closer again. He remained motionless, hoping the wolf wouldn’t see him as a threat or prey. To his amazement, the wolf huffed at him and then licked his neck before moving away from him to settle its heavy head on his thigh as it curled up between his legs. “I’m dreaming. This has got to be a dream,” Jensen whispered as he closed his eyes and let the pounding in his head take over, forcing him to let go of his hold on his consciousness as he sank back down into darkness. 

Jared watched over the man for nearly two days. Others from his pack had stopped by to check up on him, wanting to make sure that he was safe and had plenty of food. He couldn’t help but shake his head and laugh at their excuses, knowing that the real reason they were there was to see the man currently occupying his bed. On the second day, with no sign of the man coming to, he left his care to Christian and Chad and drove into town, hoping that someone in Bear Neck held the answer to who his mate was.

He pulled his truck up to a stop when he noticed the sheriff’s SUV parked out in front of the  _ Do Drop In _ diner. Getting out, he surveyed his surroundings before making his way inside in search of Jeffrey Dean - ‘call him JD’ - Morgan, Bear Neck’s sheriff. 

“JD, can I speak with you?” Jared asked as he approached the man sitting alone in a booth in the back.

JD looked up, surprised to see who was approaching him. It wasn’t unusual to see Jared Padalecki in town, but it was strange to see him walking into the diner. “Sure Jared, what’s up?” he questioned and motioned for Jared to take a seat. 

“A beaten and unconscious man was found just inside my packlands two days ago. He didn’t have any identification on him and he has yet to come around. I’m wondering if you might know who he is,” Jared explained as he pulled out his cell phone. He pulled up the picture he had taken two days ago and passed the phone to JD.

JD sucked in a surprised breath as he looked at the picture. “Yeah, I know him,” he said as he handed Jared back his phone. “He’s the Ackles’ boy. Well, not so much a boy any more.”

Jared scrunched his face up as he tried to recall if he had ever met Abigail Ackles. He shook his head, he remembered meeting the woman before she had passed, but not a son. “She had a son?” 

“Not her, her brother and sister-in-law. He used to come up here toward the end of summer. Your pack was usually out on your run when he was around. It’s probably why you never met him. As far as I can remember, he was adopted when he was around six or seven. What the hell was his name? It’s an odd one.” JD snapped his fingers and smiled, “Jensen, that’s the boy’s name. He was shy, always sticking to himself, never bothered anyone, always had his nose in a book or was drawing. I think he had a thing for wolves.” JD gave him a smile as he wiggled his eyebrows. “He stopped coming up a few years back. When Abby died, she left him her place. I heard he was supposed to be coming up, fixing on selling the place.” He brought his hand up to his chin and stroked through his beard with a thoughtful look on his face. “You found him like that on your land? He doesn’t strike me as the type to go looking for trouble, but seems like trouble sure found him.”

“Jensen,” Jared breathed out. He finally knew the name of the man he had come to call as his mate in less than three days. 

JD turned to Sally, his waitress and called her over. “Sally, you hear of anything going on that might have been kept from me?”

Sally gave JD and Jared a bright smile, “Like what sheriff?”

“Like someone getting the shit beat outta’ them? Maybe left on packlands,” JD asked and watched as Sally began to fidget with her order pad. “Okay, spill it.”

“There was talk about a fight that went down out by Abby’s place. Her nephew, good-looking kid, greenest eyes I’ve ever seen. He stopped in for a burger and caught Mick’s attention. He said no to Mick and left. From what I heard, Mick paid him a visit, wanted to give him another chance to be friendly. Guess it didn’t go so well. Supposedly, Mick’s been telling people that the kid wasn’t normal.” 

“Wasn’t normal, how?” Jared asked harshly. He could feel his anger rising. He wanted to pay Mick a little visit, but he knew he couldn’t. The man was human and if he had been the one to attack Jensen, then JD would be the one to deal with him. 

“Well, I’m not too sure about that one, sweetie,” Sally responded, giving Jared another bright smile. “But, looks like you can ask him yourself.” She pointed toward the door. Jared and JD turned to watch the door to the diner being pushed open by the man they had been talking about.

“Well, it’s our lucky day,” JD breathed out as he got up to greet the newcomer. “Mick, we were just talking about you. Your ears must have been burning.”

Mick frowned at JD and then scowled at Jared. “Fucking shifter,” he muttered. 

“What did you just call me?” Jared demanded as he stood to his full height, towering over Mick. 

Mick crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Jared before turning his attention to JD. “What do you want?”

“Heard something about a fight between you and Abby Ackles’ nephew. That true?” JD questioned.

Mick shrugged his shoulders. “We had words two, maybe three days back. I offered to buy him a beer. He was rude, acted like he was too good for me. That didn’t sit well with me, so I went out to Abby’s place to give him another chance to be sociable.”

“How’d you know who he was and where he was staying?” JD asked.

“Heard him mention his name and that he was here to get the ball rollin’ on selling the place,” Mick shot back.

“And then what happened? How’d he end up beaten and unconscious? How’d he end up on packlands?” JD demanded.

“We got into a disagreement. Then the kid’s eyes started fucking glowing. He got all twitchy, started turning, but not turning. Then he started screaming and he came at me. I was just defending myself. I was gonna put him down, but figured he was one of yours so I dumped him where he belonged. Figured you’d take care of him, one way or the other.” 

Jared growled low in his throat, issuing a warning to the man who had just admitted to harming the man that had been found on his lands. He took a step forward, ready to tear the son of a bitch’s throat out, when he felt a hand on his chest, stopping him.

“Human, so that makes him my problem,” JD informed Jared. He pulled out his handcuffs and ordered Mick to turn around.

“What the fuck for?” Mick yelled.

“Well, dumbass, you just admitted to trespassing on private property, assaulting someone and abducting him. You’re under arrest,” JD informed the man as he spun him around and handcuffed him. He began to inform him of his rights and leaned in as he finished, “You better pray Ackles wakes up, or it’s gonna get a lot worse for you.”

“Let me go. He came at me. I was just defending myself from that freak of nature!” Mick yelled out.

A loud growl cut through the noise of the diner, causing everyone to turn their attention to Jared. “You had better watch yourself. Ackles is under pack protection, my protection. If he doesn’t recover from the beating you gave him, I will be paying you a visit.” He snarled at the man, but didn’t move any closer to him, knowing if he did, he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from bloodying the man with his claws. “My pack doesn’t bother you. We don’t bother anyone here in town.” 

JD gave Mick a wicked smile, “You still want me to let you go? Sure, I can do that, after we take a little ride out to the packlands, and see where you dumped an unconscious man. You know, the one you beat and left for dead.”

“You can’t do that. I’m human and it’s your job to protect me,” Mick fearfully responded. 

“It’s also my job to protect the community from scumbags like you. And, the packlands fall under my jurisdiction.” JD gave a push to Mick to get him moving toward the door, knowing he had to get the man into his SUV before Jared shifted right there in the diner and went after the piece of shit. As far as he was concerned, Jared was well within his right to do just that, but the law said otherwise. 

Jared started for his truck, but stopped. He turned toward JD, “You need to keep your people away from my packlands. We live peacefully away from this town and it will stay that way. But, mark my words, we will defend ourselves if we’re threatened, especially in our own territory.” He turned back to his truck, slamming the door as he got in. He jabbed the key into the ignition and peeled out of the parking lot. Anger was coursing through his veins as he drove. He needed to get back to his pack, back to where he knew it was safe to shift into his wolf form. He needed to run, to work off the rage he was feeling, and he needed to check on Jensen. 

Once inside his packlands, Jared started to relax. He knew the man’s name and why he had been in Bear Neck. He also knew what had happened to Jensen to cause him to be found in pack territory. As his truck came to a stop in front of his cabin, he looked up to see Chad coming out to meet him. He quickly swung the truck door open and jumped out. “What is it? Is it Jensen? Has something happened to him?”

Chad gave Jared a quizzical look. “Jensen? Who the hell is Jensen?” His mouth formed a silent O as he realized that Jared was referring to the man they had been watching over. “Is that his name? Kinda strange, is that his first or last name?”

“Chad,” Jared growled out in warning. His patience with his friend and beta was wearing thin. 

“Sorry,” Chad stated as he raised his hands in supplication. “He’s been moving around, kind of moaning a little, but he hasn’t woken up. Other than that, he seems fine.”

Jared brushed past his friend in order to get inside. He needed to check on Jensen, see for himself that Jensen was fine. He walked in to find Christian sitting on the couch watching Jensen intently.

Hearing movement, Christian turned his focus from the man on the bed to find Jared entering the cabin. He gave him a weak smile and then nodded at the bed when the man moved and made some kind of sound. He wasn’t sure if he was calling for someone or just making unrecognizable sounds. He rose from the couch to greet Jared. “Hey, did you find anything out?”

“Yeah, his name is Jensen Ackles. He’s Abigail Ackles’ nephew. How is he?” Jared questioned as he moved past Christian to stand next to the bed. 

Christian shrugged in answer to Jared’s question. “Hell if I know. I mean, he’s not running a fever, although he’s warm. He keeps saying something, but I’m not sure exactly what and he’s been moving around. Other than that, he seems fine.” 

“Good, okay,” Jared responded and then reached out to touch Jensen as he stirred. He placed his hand on Jensen’s shoulder and murmured to him. “You’re safe, Jensen. There’s nothing to worry about. Just rest and get well. I’m not gonna let anyone hurt you again.” He felt Jensen tense for a moment under his touch and then relax. He leaned in closer when Jensen murmured and heard the barely audible word he said;  _ Alpha _ .

“Jared, just who is he? What did you find out and why is he responding to you as if you’re his alpha? And I don’t mean as in, pack alpha, I mean as in you being his alpha mate?” Christian demand. 

“Because I am,” Jared stated matter-of-factly.

“What the fuck did you just say?” Chad shrieked from behind them. He shook his head, “No, I didn’t just hear you say what I thought you said. I must be having a stroke. There’s no way that he’s your mate. He’s human for Christ sake!”

Turning toward the door, Jared growled at Chad and his eyes flashed red in anger showing his displeasure with the other wolf. He took a step toward the smaller man, only to be stopped by Christian. He looked down at the hands on his chest and then up into Christian’s blue eyes as the man attempted to hold him back. “Let go of me.” He growled low in his throat letting the other wolf know he wasn’t to be disobeyed.

Christian withdrew his hands, but remained standing between his alpha and the other beta standing behind him. “Poor choice of words, asshole,” Christian spat out as he glanced at Chad. Turning his focus back on Jared he began to try to reason with him. “Look, we’re just shocked by this. Why don’t we  _ all _ take a beat and simmer down, then you can start by telling us what you found out in town.”

Jared dragged his hands down his face as he tried to gather his thoughts. He hadn’t meant for anyone to find out this way, he had hoped to better prepare himself with this realization before he even attempted to explain things to his pack. “Damn it!” he exclaimed. He turned back to check on Jensen, hoping that the exchange that had just taken place hadn’t woken him. That was the last thing he needed right now, a fearful mate, one who didn’t even know what he was, waking to their fighting. He turned back to the two men still staring at him in shock. If he was going to explain things, he might as well do it all at once rather than having to explain it several times. “Call a pack meeting.”

“Jared . . .” 

“Now!” Jared growled at Chad. “Oh, and Chad, if you continue to question me at every turn, we’re going to have a discussion on pack dynamics.”

Chad bowed his head in submission. “I’m sorry Jared. It’s just a lot to take in. I’m just trying to protect you and this pack. You’re our alpha, but you’re also my friend.”

“Jared, you gotta understand where we’re coming from,” Christian explained, hoping to diffuse the tension that had been building between the three of them. “Before you ever took over as pack alpha, you were our friend first, still are. We’ll back you up, always have and always will, but don’t think we’re questioning you as a way to challenge you for the leadership of the pack, we’re doing it because you’re our friend. Now, are you sure about calling a pack meeting? You don’t have to . . .”

“No, I might as well get this over with now. The pack has a right to know and they’re gonna find out eventually, it might as well be now and from me,” Jared responded wearily.

“We’ll get everyone together,” Chad said and then left the cabin, followed by Christian to gather their pack.

Jared turned back to the bed to see that Jensen was still unconscious. He ran his hands through his hair as he tried to figure out what he was going to say to the pack. He let out a deep breath, “I’m about to explain things to my pack that I don’t even fully understand myself. All I know is that you’re my mate. I hope when you awaken, you’ll want to stay, that you’ll agree to being my mate.” With those words, he turned and walked out of his cabin to find the majority of the pack assembled outside waiting for him. 

Jared looked out over the pack members and smiled, trying to reassure them. He could feel the unease and curiosity rolling off of them in waves. Hearing their chatter, he cleared his throat to get their attention. When he had their attention, he began to speak. “I’m sure you’re wondering why I’ve called this pack meeting. Many of you have been made aware of the unconscious man that was found a few days ago on our packlands. At first it was feared that this man or whoever had left him there was a threat to us. I can assure that that is not the case.” He heard a collective sigh run through the pack and felt them begin to relax. “Many of you have stopped by to inquire regarding this man, his health, his injuries and who he is. As you know, I drove into town today and spoke with the sheriff. I discovered who the man is, his name is Jensen Ackles. He was attacked and left on the packlands in hopes that we would dispose of him.” He heard the shocked gasps and held up his hand to get their attention again. “The man who attacked Jensen has been arrested. Because he’s human, he falls under the sheriff’s jurisdiction, despite what he did. Now, as you have been informed, Jensen was under my protection, he still is and will remain so.” He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled it as he thought about what he was about to tell his pack. “When Jensen wakes, I will be extending an offer to him for him to stay here with us. I, along with my wolf, have discovered that he is my mate.”

“He’s human, how can that even be?” one of the pack members questioned.

“What if he doesn’t want to stay?” several members asked.

“What if he refuses you?” someone else called out.

Jared heard the quiet murmuring and waited to address the questions and any of the pack’s concerns until they had settled again. “I know your concerns, Christian and Chad have already voiced them. From what I’ve picked up on, Jensen isn’t exactly human. That was one of the reasons he was attacked. I’m not sure exactly what he is, and I won’t know until I’m able to speak to him. He may not even know himself. As far as being my mate, you know as well as I do that is not something that can be overlooked. I’m hoping he feels the pull to mate with me as I do to him. If he chooses not to stay or mate with me, then I will respect his wishes and I will deal with that issue if and when it happens. For now, all I can do is hold out hope. I ask that you show Jensen the same compassion you would show to any other member of this pack.” 

Jared watched as the pack members began to speak amongst themselves, knowing they were restless and feeling uneasy over his announcement. He braced himself for the possibility that one of the members might not only refuse to accept his future mate but challenge him for his position as alpha of their pack. 

One of the older pack members stood and approached him. “Jared, while we may not be thrilled with what we just heard, we do understand that you can’t overlook who your mate is. I speak for every pack member here when I say we will support you. No one here wants to challenge you for pack rule, you’ve always done everything to protect the pack, put us first. We’re happy with you as our alpha and we’ll do our best to make your mate feel welcome among us.”

Several members could be heard agreeing with what the member had just stated. Jared felt their sincerity and gave them a grateful smile. “Thank you, I appreciate your understanding and your willingness to allow me to continue as your alpha.” 

The sound of an approaching vehicle quieted the pack. They watched as the sheriff’s SUV drove into view and then stopped. They heard the engine turn off and waited to see their alpha’s reaction.

“Fuck, what now?” Jared said as he raised his hands up in exasperation. He watched as JD got out of his SUV and took a few steps toward them, only to stop, waiting for his approval to enter further onto packlands. He nodded to the man as he approached. “JD,” he greeted and extended his hand. 

“Jared,” JD responded and shook the offered hand. “Evening, all,” JD said as he looked at the pack members. He heard several members return his greeting as he turned his attention back to Jared. “I’m here about Jensen Ackles. I need to see how he’s doing and speak to him.”

Jared nodded to the members, dismissing them and waited until they had dispersed, all but Chad and Christian. With a nod to them and JD, he turned and began to lead them back to his cabin. 

“I know you’re not thrilled to have me here, but I’m just doing my job. I gotta say, it’s beautiful out here. I can see why you and your pack would rather stay on packlands. Just know that I don’t have a problem with Weres, you’re welcome in Bear Neck as far as I’m concerned.” JD started to follow Jared then reached out and placed a hand on his arm, stopping him for a moment. “Most people in town like you. Hell, we all know of Weres and don’t give those from your pack who work in town any problems. We’re not all like Mick and if you give us a chance, you’d see that.” 

“Thanks,” Jared replied and then stopped outside his cabin. “Jensen hasn’t regained consciousness, not yet at least,” he explained and then led everyone inside. 

“Mind if I take a look at him?” JD questioned and then waited for the alpha’s approval. He knew he had to be respectful and wait for Jared to grant him access to not only his packlands but the man he was here to check on. He saw Jared shake his head and ventured over to the bed. He took in Jensen’s state as he lay there. “I need to take a few pictures myself and have you send me what you took the other day,” he said as he produced his cell phone. “I gotta say, he looks a hell of a lot better now than he did in the pictures you showed me.” He waited again for Jared’s permission and then took several pictures of Jensen’s healing injures. He rambled off his email for Jared and then replaced his phone in his pocket. “So, he hasn’t woken up, but he’s healing. He’s not fully human, is he?” JD asked calmly and then waited for Jared’s reaction.

Jared crossed his arms over his chest as he positioned himself between the bed and JD. “No, he’s not.”

JD shook his head in understanding. “Well, I guess he’s where he needs to be, maybe where he really belongs. Keep me posted if there’s any change. I guess I better be getting home. Thanks for your help,” he said and started for the door.

“Let me show you the way back,” Chad offered and followed JD out.

“Do you need anything?” Christian asked when Chad and JD had left.

“Just for Jensen to wake up.” Jared turned to Christian and saw the concern in his friend’s eyes. “I’m fine, thanks. I’ll see you in the morning.” He watched as Christian nodded and then walked out, closing the door after himself.

Jared checked on Jensen before settling on the couch to work on the story he had started writing before Jensen had been found on the packlands. He lost himself in the chapter he was writing, not raising his head until he heard one of the pack members calling to him.

_ “Alpha, we’ve walked the lands and everything is secure,” _ came from one of the members, an omega, on patrol.

_ “The pack has turned in for the night, but we’ll continue to keep watch,” _ came from the beta that had been partnered with the omega.

_ “Thank you, and make sure you both stay safe,” _ Jared answered. 

His eyes slipped closed as exhaustion overtook him. He hadn’t really slept since Jensen had been found and he couldn’t fight the need for sleep any longer. He didn’t know how long he had slept, but something unfamiliar had caused him to jolt awake. He opened his mind to his pack, thinking it had been one of the members calling to him, only to find that what had woken him was coming from inside his cabin. He sat up and placed his laptop on the couch cushion next to him. He looked over at the bed to see Jensen sitting up, with his green eyes tracking his every movement. He sat forward, not daring to stand or move toward Jensen knowing any sudden movements might appear as frightening to the man. “Hi” he said trying to be as non-threatening as possible.

Jensen slowly came to. He raised his hand to his head to rub his eyes and grimaced in pain. The right side of his face felt tender to his touch and his body ached. He groaned as he tried to sit up and had to shield his eyes from the light until his eyes adjusted. When he was able to, he looked around to see that he was somewhere unfamiliar. He saw the man sleeping on the couch and he tried to scramble away only to realize that he was only in his underwear. “Oh, God,” he whispered and fearfully scanned the room for his clothes and a way out. He heard movement and turned back to see the man was moving, setting aside a laptop and sitting forward, but not coming toward him. He heard the man speaking to him and cut him off, “Who are you? Where am I? What did you do to me?”

Jared could feel the fear radiating off of Jensen and it broke his heart. He wanted to comfort Jensen, but knew he had to win him over first, show him he was safe and had nothing to fear, at least not from him and his pack. He smiled at him before answering his questions. “I’m Jared Padalecki and you’re in my cabin. You were found on my lands. Someone attacked you. You’ve been unconscious for about two days. You weren’t found with any ID, so drove into town and spoke with the sheriff. He told me you’re Jensen Ackles, Abby Ackles’ nephew. The sheriff knows you’re here and no one’s gonna hurt you. You’re safe.”

“Where are my clothes?” Jensen asked as he looked around the room again. The cabin was really only made up of one large room. He could see the kitchen area, the living room where Jared was currently sitting and he was in what he supposed was the bedroom. He noticed an open door and could just make out a bathroom. Turning back to Jared he glared at him. “What did you do to me?” he demanded again.

“When you were found, you were hurt. I carried you back here. I had to take your clothes off to check for injuries and then I cleaned you up. I left your underwear on, I never touched you other than to make sure you weren’t in need of medical attention, more than I could give you. Your clothes were ruined so I tossed them,” Jared explained. He could feel Jensen starting to relax slightly. 

“I was attacked?” Jensen asked. The question was directed more to himself than Jared. “I remember being at my aunt’s place and then nothing.”

“Mick, one of the locals, he attacked you and then dragged you out here and left you. He didn’t count on you being found. I’m just gonna get up, get you some clothes to put on so you’ll feel more comfortable around me,” Jared explained as he stood and moved to the door near the bathroom. He opened the door, revealing a closet and rummaged around in it until he found a t-shirt and a pair of old sweatpants. “These might be a little long on you, but they should do until I can find something that will fit you. I’m just gonna leave them on the bathroom counter. You probably want to take a shower.” He disappeared into the bathroom, turned the light on and then reappeared. “There are clean towels as well, help yourself to whatever you might need.” He crossed over to the kitchen, giving Jensen a wide berth. He heard a faint ‘Thanks’, the sound of movement and then the closing of the bathroom door.

Jensen tracked Jared’s movements, not daring to take his eyes off the man. When he saw Jared standing next to the kitchen sink with his back to him, he dared to finally move. He made his way into the bathroom and closed the door behind him, noting that the door didn’t have a lock. He looked around the bathroom, there wasn’t much room to move around, not for two people, so he figured if Jared was going to attack him, the bathroom probably wasn’t the room he’d do it in. He looked at the clothes on the counter and the towels along with the unopened toiletries that had been left for him. He was grateful for those, but he also didn’t know what to make of the fact that apparently Jared had a stockpile. He would have really freaked out if they had been the same brands that he used. Taking a deep breath to settle himself, he looked in the mirror and gasped at his reflection. He saw the bruises along the right side of his face and along his chin, ones that looked like they were several days old, not less than seventy-two hours. He must have also had a split lip, but the injury also seemed to be in the later stages of healing. He noticed other bruises, the one on his back and the others on his legs, which all appeared to be in the same state of healing as the ones on his face. Try as he might, he couldn’t remember what had happened, which frustrated him. He looked back into the mirror to see that his eyes were glowing. He squeezed them shut, willing it to stop. “No, this can’t happen, not here and not now,” he whispered to himself. Blindly he reached out and grabbed onto the counter steadying himself as he breathed in deeply. His emotions were running high, his skin felt too tight, like it was stretched across his body and he fought the desire to claw at it. He needed to get himself under control, he couldn’t let Jared know he wasn’t normal. He had no idea what was wrong with him, but he was sure nothing like this happened to anyone else. 

When his breathing had returned to normal and he felt like he had some semblance of control over himself, he opened his eyes to see his normal green eyes looking back at him from the mirror. Giving up on trying to recall that night, he pushed aside the shower curtain and turned on the water to let it heat up. When it was at the right temperature, he stepped out of his underwear and into the shower. He groaned in appreciation as the hot water hit his skin. After washing, he stood under the showerhead letting the hot water work over his sore muscles until it started to turn cold. He turned off the water, got out, dried off and then pulled on the borrowed clothing. True to Jared’s words, his clothes were big on him by at least three inches. He rolled up the sweatpants so he wouldn’t trip on them and then reached for the toiletries to finish cleaning up. 

As Jensen stepped out of the bathroom, he heard Jared’s voice and stopped, not knowing if he should stay and listen or retreat back to the bathroom. It sounded like Jared was on the phone with someone talking about him. Hearing his name, he decided to remain where he was.

Jared had grabbed his cell phone off the side table by the couch and dialed a number. He had heard a groggy voice answering his call and he winced at having clearly woken the man. “JD, it’s Jared. Sorry to call you at this late hour, but I wanted to let you know that Jensen’s awake.” 

“Jared, how is he?” JD had responded in a sleep filled voice. 

“Scared, confused, he woke up in a stranger’s home,” Jared answered and then turned in the direction of the bathroom. He hesitated when he saw Jensen standing in the bathroom doorway looking like he had been caught eavesdropping. He heard JD speaking to him and he pulled his attention away from Jensen to responded to JD. “Hold on, JD, you can ask him yourself.” Jared gave Jensen a dimpled smile and walked toward him with his arm outstretched, offering him the phone.

Hesitantly, Jensen reached out for the phone. “He . . . hello?” he said into the phone as he watched Jared take a few steps back from him.

“Jensen? This is Sheriff Morgan, how are you doing?” JD questioned. “When I was out there earlier you were still unconscious. Jared’s been taking good care of you; you’ve got nothing to worry about. He’s good people,” he said, trying to reassure the other man. 

“I’m alright, I guess. I’d, uhm, I’d like to go home. Well, at least to my aunt’s,” Jensen said weakly.

“Unfortunately, right now you can’t. I’ve got the place taped off since it’s a crime scene. Look, you’re safe where you are right now. Jared will take care of you. I’ll be out in a day or so to check up on you, and to take your statement. Until then, get some rest,” JD told Jensen.

“Yeah, okay. I mean, it’s not like I can remember anything,” Jensen responded half-heartedly and then handed the phone back to Jared. 

“JD, it’s Jared.”

“Jared, I’m gonna need Jensen to stay there for at least another day. The place is a crime scene right now and he can’t go back there. Is that gonna be a problem?” JD asked.

“No, he’s welcome to stay as long as he needs to or wants to,” Jared responded, looking at Jensen as he spoke.

“Yeah, I didn’t think it would be,” JD chuckled into the phone. 

“Anything else?” Jared questioned, choosing to ignore JD’s attempt at goading him into a response regarding Jensen. 

“Not unless there’s something you want to tell me?” JD taunted the alpha. He had known Jared for a few years and while they weren’t best friends, they were friendly. Jared had always been respectful to him, which he appreciated and tried to extend the same courtesy to the alpha. Jared and his pack never did anything to harm a human; the pack had been known to offer help to stranded hikers, leading them safely back to their trail or even into town. Yet, he had never heard of Jared extending protection to someone outside of his pack, human or otherwise, and knew Jensen had to be special to him in some way.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Jared questioned.

Jensen stood a few feet away from Jared, watching him as he spoke to JD. He noticed how Jared had gone from seemingly easy going to tense as the conversation continued. He wondered what was going on. Did the conversation have to do with him? Was it in regard to his attack? Jared had said he was welcome to stay, but maybe he really didn’t like the idea. It wasn’t like there was a lot of extra room in his cabin. He began to feel self-conscious as the conversation went on. He eyed the room, and realized there was nowhere for him to retreat to, other than the bathroom, to give Jared his privacy. He turned and walked to the bed. He looked over his shoulder before sitting down on the bed and drawing his knees up to his chest, feeling like he was intruding on Jared’s life.

“Jared, you’ve never extended protection to anyone before, and this time you have. It’s just a little unusual, wouldn’t you say?” JD coaxed, trying to get an answer from Jared.

“Yes, it is, but it was warranted.” He looked up to see Jensen sitting on the bed. He looked like he was trying to make himself as small as possible and he could feel uncertainty coming from Jensen. He heard his wolf whine in response and he did his best to push aside everything so he could finish his conversation with JD and give Jensen his attention. “Do you know what time you’re planning to stop by? That way Jensen will be ready to speak with you?”

“Trying to get me off the phone and not answer my questions. I get it. I’ll call before I start my drive up. Take care of Jensen and yourself,” JD chuckled and then ended the call.

Shaking his head, Jared dropped his phone back on the table he had retrieved it from. He ran his fingers through his hair, trying to figure out what to say to Jensen. He needed to calm Jensen, make him feel welcome and safe. “It looks like you’re gonna be stuck with me for a little while, at least until JD gives you the all clear to return to your aunt’s. So, why don’t we get to know each other?” Jared offered as he took a seat on the couch.

Jensen looked up at Jared and shrugged his shoulders. He gave him a weak smile, “Okay. What do you want to know?”

“How are you feeling? Are you in any pain? I . . . I can get you something for it. Or, maybe you’re hungry? I can make you a sandwich,” Jared offered. 

Jensen shook his head, “I’m alright. No real pain and I’m not really hungry right now, but thank you.”

“Good . . . okay. Are you thirsty? I can make you a cup of coffee. I might have some juice,” Jared started to explain as he stood and walked toward the refrigerator.

“Maybe just a glass of water, if it’s not too much trouble?”

“No trouble at all,” Jared assured him as he opened the refrigerator, grabbed a bottle of water and brought it over to him. 

“Thanks,” Jensen said as he accepted the offered bottle.

“You’re already looking better,” Jared replied awkwardly as he stepped back, giving Jensen some room as he took a seat on the couch.

“I’ve always been a fast healer,” Jensen explained. “Even as a kid, if I got a cut or scraped a knee, it was usually healed in a few days. It was like it never happened. It would freak my parents out. They thought it was unnatural.”

Jared tilted his head as he listened to Jensen. What Jensen experienced was very similar to what happened to a Were, but he, as well as other Weres, healed within a day from most injuries. “Really? It’s not that unnatural. I tend to heal quickly.”

Jensen smiled, feeling like he wasn’t a total freak. “It’s nice to meet someone who’s kind of the same. I’ll give you my parents’ number so you can call them and tell them there’s nothing wrong with me.” He gave Jared a weak smile and then looked away from him trying to hide his pain. 

“I’m sorry about your aunt. I didn’t know her very well, but she seemed like a nice woman,” Jared offered. 

Jensen turned back to Jared, “She was. I used to wish she was my mother, sometimes I still do,” he replied sadly.

“Are you not close with your parents?” Jared questioned. 

Jensen shrugged, “I never knew my parents, my biological ones, I mean. I was given up as a baby and moved from foster home to foster home until I was adopted. Everything was good for a while, but then things went all to hell. My parents couldn’t understand the changes in me. I had no idea what was going on. The only time I felt like myself was when I was here visiting my aunt. Then, there was some kind of a fight between them and I wasn’t allowed to visit anymore,” Jensen said, the sadness in his voice was evident as it began to overwhelm him. “I felt so lost and angry. It was like she abandoned me.”

“I’m sure it was just as hard for her as it was for you. I’m surprised we never met. I grew up here. JD told me you used to visit, but it was usually around the time we took off for vacation.” He couldn’t really tell Jensen it was the time that the pack left to move further into the wilderness to run, hunt and live in their wolf forms for a few weeks. It was the best time of his life; his parents were still alive, so he didn’t have to worry about the safety of the pack. “You mentioned changes, rough teenage years?” Jared inquired.

“Yeah, I guess you could call it that,” Jensen replied with a shrug of his shoulders. He had no idea how to explain what he went through; the glowing eyes, the feeling of his skin being too tight, like there was something in him that was trying to get out. Jared would think he was sitting across from an insane person if he even mentioned it. “They had a hard time wrapping their minds around the idea that I’m gay. I mean, they accepted it eventually.” He met Jared’s eyes. “That’s not an issue for you, is it?” He bit his bottom lip, hoping it wasn’t. He had no idea if Jared was gay or not, but he was definitely hoping he was. He wouldn’t mind getting to know Jared, letting Jared . . . The sound of Jared’s voice forced him out of his daydream.

“No, it’s not. I’m gay,” Jared admitted and then gave Jensen a dimpled smile. “My parents didn’t have an issue with it. They actually tried setting me up a few times.” He shuddered at the memories. “It didn’t go well,” he said with a laugh when he saw Jensen’s horrified look. 

“And your parents? Are they still attempting to set you up and marry you off?” Jensen asked and then snickered at the idea. Just looking at the man, he had a hard time believing that Jared couldn’t find his own dates. Jared was tall, muscular, with broad shoulders that tapered off to a slim waist. He was just the type of man he would be interested in himself. Who was he kidding? He  _ was _ interested in Jared.

The smile slipped from Jared’s face and he looked away. The ache he felt from the absence of his parents was too overwhelming at that moment. “No . . . they . . . they passed away a few years ago. My dad . . . he, ah, he got really sick . . . When he passed . . . My mom, she missed him . . . I guess she lost the will to live without him. A month later, she was gone, too.” 

“Oh, God, Jared, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to . . . to bring up such painful memories,” Jensen whispered.

Jared turned back to Jensen when he heard the sorrow in his voice. “No, it’s fine. I mean it was a couple of years ago. It’s just that I miss them sometimes.” He knew he needed to turn their conversation around and to get them off such a sad topic. “So, what do you do for a living?” Jared inquired.

Jensen tried to hide his smile at Jared’s attempt at changing the subject. “I’m a carpenter. I’ve always loved working with my hands, loved drawing. My parents weren’t too happy with me. They wanted me to go into law.” He made a face at that. “There was no way I could ever be happy cooped up in a stuffy office. What about you?”

“I’m a writer,” Jared admitted and then nervously rubbed his forehead. He didn’t usually tell many people what he did for a living. It either led to people wanting his autograph because they had read his books or scoffing at him because they had no idea who he was.

“Have you written anything I might have read?” Jensen asked and tilted his head to the side as he waited for Jared’s answer.

“A Wolf and His Boy . . .”

“No way!” Jensen exclaimed cutting Jared off as his eyes lit up, “I loved that book. I always wanted that to be me . . .” He felt his face heating up from his admission. “I mean . . . it’s just, I’ve always loved wolves and the idea that a wolf bonds with a boy and then they can talk to each other . . .”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it . . .”

“Wait, that book and the others were written by Jared Tristan. I thought you said your last name was Padalekity?” Jensen scrunched his face up as he said the name, or at least attempted to say it.

Jared threw his head back and laughed. “It’s Padalecki. I write under Jared Tristan, it’s my first and middle name. Padalecki isn’t the easiest of names to say or remember. Plus, it gives me the anonymity that I like. No one’s banging down my door trying to interview me, which is fine with me. It gives me more time to write.” 

“Yeah, I guess I can understand that. Who wants to be interrupted all the time, especially when you’re trying to concentrate on something. Is that what you were doing before?” Jensen asked with a yawn as he pointed toward Jared’s laptop. 

Jared looked over at what Jensen was pointing to. “Yeah, until I fell asleep,” He saw the concerned look on Jensen’s face, “please don’t worry about it.” He stretched out his legs, trying to find a comfortable position and closed his eyes. He knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep on the couch, but he’d make do while Jensen was staying with him. 

“You’re not really going to sleep there are you?” Jensen asked as he shifted to lay down and get comfortable himself. He watched Jared as he raised his head and opened his eyes to look at him. “I mean, this is your home.” He started to sit up when he realized that he was taking Jared’s bed away from him. “Wait, this is your bed. You should be sleeping here.”

Jared held up his hand, stopping Jensen from speaking. “You’re my guest,” Jared said simply. 

“This bed is big enough for two. I mean, I know we don’t really know each other, but you did rescue me. You didn’t take advantage of me, when you could have.” Jensen felt his heartbeat quicken. He wouldn’t mind waking up to Jared in the morning after Jared had made love to him. He could imagine Jared’s large hands on his body, manhandling him as he lay underneath his muscular body. He bit his bottom lip and waited for Jared’s response as he tried to get himself under control.

Jared’s eyes widened for a brief moment when he felt a hint of arousal coming from Jensen directed toward him. He had to fight back the desire to first high five himself and then rush over to Jensen to kiss him, to give him whatever he wanted. “Uhm, I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable. I mean, you . . . you’re recovering from being attacked.”

“Yeah, but not by you and you look kind of uncomfortable over there. I bet that couch really isn’t made for sleeping on.” Jensen gave Jared a small smile and started to slide down under the covers again. “Well, the offer still stands if you change your mind. Just don’t cry to me in the morning when you’re all cramped up and can’t move.” He pulled the covers up to his chest, rolled over and closed his eyes.

Jared stared at Jensen’s back in surprise, not knowing what to make of Jensen’s words. He heard his wolf whining, begging to go to Jensen, begging him to give in and lay down with him. He dragged his fingers through his hair and bit back the groan that was threatening to escape past his lips. He forced himself up from the couch and into the bathroom where he stripped out of his clothes and got into the shower to cool down his overheated skin. What he needed was to be able to shift into his wolf and run. He hadn’t been able to since Jensen had been found. He let the cold water run over his skin until he felt more like himself. Turning off the water, he grabbed his towel, dried off and then grabbed his sweatpants and t-shirt he kept hanging on the back of the door and pulled them on. 

He pulled the door open and stepped out into the main room of his cabin. His eyes immediately went to his bed, focusing in on the sleeping man lying there. His eyes then ticked over to the couch and this time he couldn’t suppress his groan. He couldn’t sleep on that damn couch again. His body would be aching in the morning and then he’d have to admit that Jensen had been right. With a shake of his head, he walked over to his bed and climbed in making sure to give Jensen plenty of space as he settled down under the covers and drifted off to sleep.

The sunlight streaming in through the window over the bed woke Jensen. He stirred, trying to relax enough to sink back down into sleep, but he couldn’t. Slowly, he opened his eyes and then panicked when he realized he wasn’t in his own bed. It took him a minute to remember where he was and his breathing to return to normal. He felt a soft puff of breath hit the back of his neck and then noticed a muscular arm draped loosely over his waist. He stilled his movements for a moment, trying not to panic, and then looked over at the couch to find that it was empty. Jared wasn’t lying on the couch, so he had to be the one in bed with him. He craned his neck to look over his shoulder to confirm that it was Jared lying next to him. He closed his eyes and moved closer to the warm body. He sighed in contentment, feeling safe with Jared. He knew that was strange since he didn’t even know the man, but something in the back of his mind was telling him that Jared wasn’t a threat, that Jared would protect him. He dozed like that until movement jarred him awake and had him grabbing onto Jared’s arm.

Jared woke to find himself pressed up against Jensen’s body with his arm slung over the man’s waist. He instantly went rigid as he tried to figure out what to do. He hadn’t meant for this to happen. He had planned on only sleeping for a few hours and then getting up before Jensen even knew he had slept in the bed. He started to shift himself away from Jensen when he felt him grab his arm, stopping him from moving. Jared cleared his throat, giving Jensen a moment to realize what he had done. When Jensen didn’t let go of him, he finally spoke. “Uhm, Jensen . . .” he said softly, hoping not to startle the man who was currently latched onto his arm.

“Hmmm?” Jensen responded, not wanting to let go of Jared. He was enjoying the warmth of his body and the feeling of hard muscles pressed against him.

“You’ve kind of got my arm trapped?” Jared replied and then waited for Jensen to realize what was going on between them. He felt Jensen slowly release his arm and heard him murmur an apology as he pulled his arm away. “No, I should be the one to apologize. Here I am with my arm around you and . . . and it won’t happen again,” he said solemnly as he felt the weight of his words hit him. What if it never happened again? What if Jensen didn’t want him? What if the arousal he felt from Jensen last night had only been in his mind? He heard his wolf growling at those thoughts as he pulled himself away from the bed and disappeared into the bathroom. He re-emerged a few minutes later only to rummage around in his closet. When he found what he was looking for he walked back into the bathroom, changed into a t-shirt, a pair of track pants and running shoes. He needed to run, but couldn’t just shift into his wolf in front of Jensen. When he came out, he found Jensen sitting up watching him. He gave Jensen a weak smile.

“I’m gonna go for a run. Make yourself comfortable. There’s plenty of food in the place if you get hungry. Or, you can wait until I get back and I can make you something. Then, I can look into finding you clothes that fit you better,” Jared offered, nervously. He felt like he was babbling and judging by the look on Jensen’s face he probably was. He did that every once in a while, when he was feeling overwhelmed and right now, he was. He wanted Jensen, but hadn’t figured out a way to explain everything to him. He heard his wolf growling,  _ “Take, claim, mate” _ , which wasn’t helping him in the least. He started for the door, only to stop when Jensen called his name.

“Jared,” Jensen called out as he moved closer to the edge of the bed. He could tell Jared was nervous and had a feeling it was because of him, but he wasn’t sure why. He watched as Jared turned back to him. “Are you alright? Did I do something to upset you?”

“What? No! I just need to get a run in, work off some of my pent up energy, that’s all. I should be back in about an hour,” Jared offered before he was out the door. He disappeared into the woods where he discarded his clothes, shifted into his wolf and began to run. He had been out running about thirty minutes when he was joined by his two betas. 

_ “Jared, what’s wrong? The entire pack could feel that you’re nervous,” _ Christian stated. 

_ “Sorry, it’s just being in such close proximity to Jensen and not being able to tell him what he is,”  _ Jared explained.

_ “So, what is he, exactly?” _ Chad questioned.

_ “He’s half-breed. He never knew his biological parents, but one of them had to have been a Were. He was raised human and has no idea about us or himself. He thinks he isn’t normal,” _ Jared told them. He felt both wolves rub against him, offering him their comfort. He huffed in appreciation. 

_ “So, now what? What are you going to do?” _ Chad asked.

_ “I need to earn his trust, which I think I have, for the most part. He knows I didn’t attack him, that I only wanted to help him. Then I need to show him around, and see if this is something he wants. If it is, then I’ll tell him what he is,” _ Jared said in response to Chad’s question. 

_ “And if he’s not interested, then what? Are you going to keep quiet about everything?” _ Christian asked.

Jared stopped mid-run and shook his head. He pawed at the ground as he pondered his answer. There really was only one as far as he was concerned.  _ “No, either way he has a right to know. He needs to be able to choose how he lives his life. I won’t keep that from him. Besides, if he decides to stick around here, he’s going to find out about our existence. Everyone in Bear Neck knows about Weres.” _

_ “How are you going to get around the half-breed issue?” _ Chad questioned.  _ “I mean, no one cares, but it won’t be easy for him, living with those who can shift into their wolf.” _

_ “Chad,” _ Christian started to admonish, but was stopped by Jared.

_ “My mom used to tell me a story about kindred spirits, one full-blooded wolf and one only a half-breed. The half-breed was ridiculed and made to feel like she wasn’t worthy of being called a wolf. The full-blooded offered to turn the half-breed by not only taking her as his mate, but by also gifting her with a claiming bite, marking her as being worthy of being called his mate and a wolf. After claiming her, biting her, she was able to tap into her wolf, shifting into her true self,”  _ Jared recounted.

_ “Fairy tales? You’re willing to bet on a fairy tale your mother used to tell you? Don’t get me wrong, your mom was a great woman and pack beta, but Jared, it’s just a story,” _ Chad exclaimed and then stepped away as Christian tried to stomp on his paws.

_ “Shut the fuck up, asshole,” _ Christian snarled at Chad.

_ “No, I get it, but I have to try, right? Besides, fairy tales are based in truth, at least partly. If there’s a chance I have to take it. But only if Jensen’s willing,”  _ Jared reasoned. 

_ “Well, I guess. I mean, I’ve got your back,” _ Chad assured Jared.

_ “We’re with you, we’ll support you. The entire pack will. We just want to see our alpha happy, whether you’re with a human, half-breed or a full-blood,”  _ Christian promised Jared.

Jared pawed at the ground again as he felt the need to run overtake him.  _ “I’m going to take a run through the packlands, I want to make sure we’re safe. Then I’m gonna head back to my cabin,” _ he said before taking off in the direction of the closest border of his land. He heard Christian and Chad’s yips as they gave pursuit after him. When he had finished his run, he left the other wolves to their own devices, returned to his clothing, redressed and ran back to his cabin. He pushed open the door to find Jensen standing at the stove cooking. He breathed in deeply, taking in the scent of eggs, bacon, toast and pancakes with his keen nose. “Smells delicious,” he commented as he kicked off his sneakers.

Jensen turned to look at Jared and smiled. With the hand still holding the spatula, he waved at Jared and then the table which he had already set. “Sit, it’s almost ready. I hope it tastes as good as it smells.” He turned back to the stove to finish cooking the pancakes. When he was done, he piled them on a platter that he had found and placed it on the table. He turned back to the stove, pulled out the two plates he had put together consisting of scrambled eggs, bacon and toast he had been keeping warm and placed one plate in front of Jared and the other plate before himself. “I hope you like it. I figured scrambled eggs would be alright since I wasn’t sure how you actually liked yours cooked. I can always make something else if you’d like,” he said nervously and started to get up.

Jared reached out and grabbed Jensen by the wrist stopping him. “This is great, thank you. You didn’t have to go to all this trouble.” He let go of Jensen’s wrist, picked up his fork and took a bite of eggs. As he pulled the fork away from his lips, he moaned in satisfaction. “This is really good. What did you do to the eggs?”

Jensen seemed to preen under Jared’s compliment before picking up his fork. “I . . . ah . . . I cooked the eggs in the bacon fat and added some cheese to them. My aunt taught me how to cook. She wanted me to be able to survive on my own.” There was a wistful tone to his voice as he spoke about his aunt. “She really was a great woman. The year that the fight happened . . . she and I had been talking about me coming out here for the summer. She told me there was a wolf pack that lived out here. She was able to take a few pictures of them and sent them to me. There was this one, I could tell it was a male, but he wasn’t full grown. He was beautiful. He had this fur, it looked like it was dark as midnight. I just wanted to run my fingers through it. I never got to see him, but I always imagined him as taking over the pack and being the alpha. I used to draw him, over and over until my parents got sick of it and took the pictures and my drawings away.” He stopped to take a bite of his food and then continued. “The other night, I swear he was here. I mean, I know it was a dream or whatever I was having while I was unconscious, but it felt so real. I could feel his fur between my fingers and his breath on my neck and his weight resting on my legs. It’s stupid, I know. You probably think I’m crazy. I’ll shut up now,” he said and forced himself to take another bite of his food.

Jared could only stare at Jensen in disbelief for a moment before he was able to school his features. The young wolf Jensen had been describing was him and it had certainly been him the other night curled up against Jensen. He was the only wolf in his pack with fur as black as midnight. The others had variations of coloring from white to yellow to red to brown, but no other wolf was completely black in fur. “You’re not crazy. That wolf, he’s still around and he is the alpha of his pack. He doesn’t have a mate, not yet anyway. Who knows, maybe while you’re here, you might see him.”

“You’re kidding me, you’ve seen him?” Jensen asked breathlessly. “I’d love to be able to see him. I bet he’s beautiful.”

Jared didn’t miss how Jensen’s eyes lit up when he asked. “Yeah, I’ve seen him and he is quite beautiful.” He could feel his wolf preening under the compliment and then heard him demanding to shift so he could prove to Jensen that he was indeed beautiful and worthy of being called an alpha. He had to quiet his wolf with an offering of bacon and scoffed down several pieces before declaring himself full. He rose from the table and started to pick up after them, only to be stopped by Jensen.

“I’ve got this. Making you breakfast, even though I used your food, was the least I could do. You could have left me out there. Not many people would have done what you did, taking in an injured stranger and caring for him,” Jensen said and then bit his bottom lip as he turned away to finish cleaning off the table.

Jared had no words to respond to Jensen. He knew Jensen’s words were true, but it didn’t make it right. All he knew was that he would have sanctioned care be given to any injured person found on his lands, Were or human. “I’m gonna grab a shower, get cleaned up and then I’ll show you around.” He didn’t give Jensen a chance to question him before he disappeared into the bathroom to shower and get dressed.

“Show me . . . show me what?” Jensen asked the empty room as he turned around. He had no idea what Jared was talking about. As far as he knew, there was nothing around but the woods. What could Jared possibly show him in the woods? While that thought should have had him running for his own safety, there was something deep down telling him he was safe with Jared, that Jared wouldn’t hurt him and would do his best to protect him. Besides, JD, the sheriff of Bear Neck, knew where he was. If he turned up hurt more than he already was or missing, Jared would be the first person JD would question. He had known JD for several years and knew him to be someone he could trust. JD had trusted Jared enough to have him stay with him, he couldn’t be that bad of a judge in character. He pushed those thoughts from his mind and finished cleaning the kitchen. While Jared’s cabin had most of the convenience of a modern home, it did lack a dishwasher. He hoped washing the dishes wouldn’t affect Jared showering. When he didn’t hear him screaming from the lack of hot water, he figured he was in the clear and set about cleaning them. He had just finished when he heard Jared coming out of the bathroom. He turned to see Jared standing there, his hair was slightly damp and his skin was pink from the shower. The t-shirt he wore was molded like a second skin to Jared’s chest and he couldn’t keep his eyes from zoning in on the V of his shirt, which revealed just the hint of Jared’s pecs. He had to bite his bottom lip to stop himself from whimpering.

“Ready for the tour?” Jared asked excitedly. He loved the land the pack lived on. It had belonged to his family for generations. He had been raised there and as far as he was concerned, he would die there. His parents, as well as those of the pack who had passed on, were buried on a patch of land that was looked upon as sacred. When it was his time, he would be buried alongside his parents and hopefully his mate.

Jensen forced himself to look up into Jared’s eyes and noticed for the first time the kaleidoscope of colors in his hazel eyes. “Ah, sure?” Jensen responded and watched as Jared started for the door, barefoot. “Jared, shoes?” he called out stopping Jared before he opened the door.

Jared gave a bark of laughter. “Sorry, I’m just so used to walking around barefoot.” He waited by the door until Jensen grabbed his boots and shoved his feet into them before he ushered him outside. 

It took a minute for Jensen’s eyes to adjust to the bright sunlight, but when they did, he sucked in a shocked breath. He hadn’t realized how remote they were. “How far from town are we?” 

“About an hour by car,” Jared answered and then led him around to the back of his cabin to where most of the pack had gathered. He greeted several of the members before coming to a stop as Chad and Christian joined him. Jensen stood off to the side, nervously watching and waiting. He turned to Jensen with a dimpled smile, “Everyone this is Jensen Ackles, the man who was attacked and staying with me until he got back on his feet.” Several of the pack greeted Jensen before hurrying off. 

All Jensen could do was smile at all the strangers as they said hello to him and then walked away. He wasn’t sure what to make of the situation and was beginning to feel overwhelmed until Jared came closer to him and placed a hand on the small of his back. He instantly felt calmer and found himself leaning into the larger man’s touch. 

“Jensen, this is Chad and Christian, they’re actually the ones who found you and brought me to you. Chad, I’m hoping that you might have some clothes that will fit Jensen,” Jared added and then stepped back so the three could exchange pleasantries. 

“You’re looking a lot better than when we found you. It’s good to see you up and about,” Christian said before excusing himself. “It was nice to meet you,” he called over his shoulder as he walked away.

“I think I might have something that will fit you,” Chad stated as he looked Jensen over. “I’ll drop them by your cabin in a few minutes,” Chad said and strolled off leaving Jensen and Jared alone. 

Jensen stared wide-eyed at Jared for a moment. “What, so is this place like a commune?” Jensen asked as he looked around to see several small cabins placed in a semicircle encompassing a large fire pit, and then a few more further away. It gave a comfortable, homey feel.

Jared winced at the word and then tried to figure out how to explain the packlands without revealing too much to him. “No, the land we’re standing on, I own. The people you saw,” he said as he swept his hand out in front of himself, “they, we, all share the same beliefs. We want to live in peace, away from the cruelty the world has to offer.”

Jensen shook his head in understanding. “It does sound nice. The world can be pretty cruel. I’m sure it’s nice to have somewhere to go where you can just shut everything out.” He knew he sounded wistful as he spoke those words. What he wanted, more than anything, was to have something like that. He had toyed with the possibility of his aunt’s house being his safe haven from the world. He had been torn at first, between wanting to keep it or sell it. He had spoken to a realtor about listing the place. He had nearly made the decision to stay, to look into opening his own carpentry business, but the attack had him rethinking his plans. He loved the house and the memories he had of staying there with his aunt. But now they had been tainted. He knew he needed time to think. Maybe once JD said it was alright for him to return to the house he’d be able to make a decision. 

Seeing how quiet Jensen had gotten, Jared reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, are you alright? You seem like you were lost in thought.”

Jensen blinked several times as he tried to clear his thoughts. “Yeah, just thinking about some things. I thought about selling my aunt’s place. Then I thought about staying. Now, I’m not so sure about anything,” he admitted. 

Jared felt like his heart had stopped; there was a possibility that Jensen might actually leave, not only him, but Bear Neck. He needed more time, more time to win him over, more time to convince him to stay, more time to explain things to him, and above all else, more time to show him that they were meant to be together, that they were each other’s mate. “Oh, yeah I can see how you’d be questioning things. Just don’t rush into a decision. You might actually like living in Bear Neck, or here, with us. You can stay, if you’d like. I mean you’re more than welcome to.” At least he had made the offer, one that wasn’t demanding. At least Jensen knew he was welcome to stay. 

Jensen just looked at Jared as he tried to wrap his mind around what Jared had just said to him. “I . . . Uhm . . . Thank you?”

Jared raised his hands up in supplication. “No, I get it, don’t worry. Just know that you have options,” Jared said softly. He looked up to see Chad walking toward them. “Chad . . .”

“Hey, so here’s some clothes. They should fit and I don’t need them back right away,” Chad explained as he shoved the clothes into Jensen’s hands. “I gotta go, work and all. It was nice to finally meet you.” He gave a slight wave and then retraced his steps, disappearing the way he had come from.

Jensen looked down at the clothes in his hands and then in the direction that Chad had walked off in. “Thank you,” he called out and watched as Chad raised his hand in acknowledgment. He had no idea what to make of anything that had happened since walking outside.

“That’s just Chad being Chad,” Jared explained. “Come on, I’m sure you’re a little overwhelmed and need some time alone, or maybe just a shower and a change of clothes.” He turned and led them back to his cabin. Once inside, he walked over to the couch and then looked over at Jensen. “I need to get some work done. I don’t have much in the way of entertainment. I have some books if you want to read, or you could borrow my phone. I have a couple of games downloaded on it,” Jared offered and then he gave Jensen an apologetic smile.

“Do you happen to have some paper and pencils? I’d like to draw, if that’s alright?” Jensen asked hesitantly. 

“I don’t, not drawing paper, but I can probably find you some by the time you get out of the shower.” Jared stood there, not knowing what else to do or offer Jensen. 

Jensen nodded his head and then made his way over to the bathroom, only to stop and turn back to Jared. He could sense the man’s unease and knew it was because of what he had said earlier and his reaction to meeting everyone. “I’m sorry about earlier. I didn’t mean to offend you. It’s just a lot to take in . . .”

“No, like I said, don’t worry about it and you didn’t upset me or offend me in any way,” he assured Jensen. “We’re a little different and there are things I haven’t explained to you, yet. Maybe we can talk later.”

“Yeah, sure,” Jensen responded automatically and then disappeared into the bathroom, closing the door behind himself. Different? There were things Jared needed to explain to him? He had no idea what that meant, but it didn’t sit well with him. He liked Jared, really liked him, but he was scared. He had been hurt before. Then again, who hadn’t been? It just seemed that everyone in his life let him down in one way or another. He didn’t have a relationship with his parents. His aunt, the person he loved, and the one who seemed to understand him, had passed away, leaving him alone. He felt lost and he was afraid to pin his hope of Jared wanting him on only spending a few days together. He sighed heavily as he forced his thoughts down, knowing he would only get caught up in a maze of his own making if he didn’t. He placed the borrowed clothes on the counter and rifled through them, picking out a worn pair of jeans and t-shirt. He stripped out of Jared’s clothes and folded them leaving them on the counter to change into later, if he needed to, and then climbed into the shower.

Jared sat down and ran his hands through his hair. Had he just scared Jensen off? He couldn’t dwell on that, he needed to find him some paper and pencils. He opened his mind to his pack, calling on their help.  _ “Packmates, I’m hoping someone has some drawing paper and pencils they can lend me. Jensen would like to pass the time by drawing.” _ He heard several responses,  _ “Sorry, Alpha, but no” _ ,  _ “Wish we could help, Alpha” _ ,  _ “We could bring them on our return from work, Alpha” _ , and finally, a little voice responded,  _ “I have plenty to bring your mate-to-be.” _ He couldn’t help but smile and then sent out his thanks to his pack. A few minutes later a knock broke the silence of the cabin. He rose from the couch to answer the door. “Come in, Cassidy,” he greeted and pulled the door open to allow the little girl to enter. He closed the door and turned to her, crouching down so he was eye level with her. “Thank you for doing this and I promise to replace what has been used.”

Cassidy giggled in response, then became serious. “No, Alpha, I’m happy to give your mate-to-be what will make him happy. He’ll be part of the pack soon.”

Jared laughed, “Let’s hope so.” He reached out and placed his hands on her arms, giving her the gentle affection he knew she needed from her pack alpha. 

Quietly Jensen opened the door, hoping not to disturb Jared while he was working. He heard voices speaking softly. He recognized one as Jared’s. Being curious, he took a few steps into the main room to see Jared crouched down, speaking to a little girl who was holding what looked like a ream of paper and a box filled with pencils. He watched as the girl leaned into Jared’s touch, and it looked like she rubbed her cheek against his before pulling back to speak to him. 

“He’s pretty. He’ll be a good mate to you, Alpha,” the little girl said softly.

“Hush little pup, let’s not talk about that right now,” Jared responded and gave the girl a dimpled smile. He heard movement and looked up to see Jensen standing there, watching them. He let go of Cassidy and stood to his full height. 

Jensen heard their soft exchange and while he was confused by a few of the terms they had used, he was taken aback by the possibility of Jared being interested in someone - and by his eyes. He could have sworn they had flashed from hazel to red for just a moment. He shook his head in disbelief. It had to have been a trick of the lighting or just that he was tired. There was no way that Jared’s eyes glowed like his tended to when his emotions got the best of him. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude.”

Jared chuckled, “No, you’re not intruding. This is Cassidy. She brought over some drawing paper and pencils for you.”

Cassidy turned to look up at Jensen and whispered a hello to him. She took a few steps toward him, her arms outstretched and offered him what she was holding. “I brought plenty of paper and all different colors of pencils for you.” 

Jensen couldn’t help but smile at the little girl. “Thank you, that was thoughtful of you,” he said as he took the paper and pencils from her and then watched as she stepped back, seeming to seek out Jared’s protection. “I’ll make sure to return what I don’t use and I’ll take good care of what you’ve lent me.” 

Cassidy let out a giggle and then looked up at Jared. It almost looked like they were silently communicating with each other. Jared ruffled her hair, causing her to giggle again before breaking away and bounding to the door. Jared turned and followed her, opening the door for her. “Tell your parents I said thank you and I’ll stop by later.” Cassidy turned, waved at Jensen and then ran out, giggling as she disappeared. Jared watched her until she was out of sight before closing the door. He turned to find that Jensen was still standing in the same spot, holding the box full of pencils and paper. “Don’t worry about using any of that,” he said as he pointed to what was in Jensen’s hands. “I promised Cassidy that I’d replace everything.”

“Oh, I can do that,” Jensen offered. “I mean it’s the least I can do and it was really sweet of her to bring these.” He made his way over to the table and placed everything down. “Is she family?”

“Yes. I mean, we’re really one big family. We care for each other, check in on each other. No one goes without, we make sure of that. We’re not related by blood, but we consider ourselves family.” He saw Jensen’s surprised look and tilted his head as he regarded him. Jensen had no idea what pack meant and his heart ached from that. He heard his wolf whimper in response. Neither of them knew how to react to that; pack was all they knew. He couldn’t imagine living a life without the love, support and comfort of his pack. “I’m gonna . . .” he let his words die off as he pointed over to his laptop. He heard Jensen’s soft ‘Yeah’ as he turned away from him and settled himself on the couch with his laptop resting on his outstretched legs. He managed to lose himself in his work as Jensen sat at the kitchen table.

Jensen picked up a piece of paper, placed it in front of himself and then started to rummage through the box until he found a graphite pencil. He closed his eyes, letting his mind empty, hoping an image came to mind that he could draw. When nothing did, he sighed and opened his eyes, feeling defeated. He looked over at Jared and realized he had the perfect subject that he could draw. Picking up the pencil, he placed the sharpened tip against the paper and began to sketch Jared. He drew Jared sitting on the couch, focusing on the couch before moving on to drawing Jared’s profile in great detail. Satisfied with what he had created, he moved on to drawing Jared again, this time in color. He had just finished when he heard Jared’s cell phone ring. He stopped what he was doing and watched as Jared answered the phone, ready to disappear into the bathroom to give him privacy if Jared needed it. 

Jared reached for his phone, answering the call on the second ring. “Hello?” 

“Jared, it’s JD. I just wanted to let you know that things are actually wrapped up with Jensen’s assault. Since Mick was stupid enough to admit to what he did, in front of several witnesses, I’ll only need to speak with Jensen briefly,” JD explained.

“Oh, that’s good,” Jared responded as he closed his laptop and placed it next to him. He stood up and started to walk over to Jensen. “He’s right here, let me hand him the phone.” He held the phone out to Jensen, “It’s JD.”

“Oh,” Jensen breathed out and then took the phone. “JD?”

“Jensen, how are you feeling?”

“I’m good, thanks.”

“Good, I’m glad to hear that. Listen, I was just telling Jared that I’ll only need to speak with you briefly. The investigation is pretty much wrapped up. Mick admitted to attacking you, in front of several witnesses. I’ll need a statement from you and then Mick will go before the judge,” JD told Jensen. “I’m actually on my way there right now. Let Jared know for me. He’s not big on surprise visits.”

“Okay, how long before you get here?”

“About fifteen minutes. I’ll see you in a few,” JD stated and then ended the call.

Jared was frowning when Jensen looked up at him. “JD’s on his way. He’ll be here soon,” Jensen said and felt his mouth go dry and his gut clench up as soon as the words were out of his mouth.

“Oh,” Jared responded as his eyes widened in surprise. “Why? I mean that’s probably a good sign, right?” He tried to recover by giving Jensen a smile, but it felt forced. “I should probably clean up,” he muttered as he turned back to the couch, straightening the area and then the bed. He heard papers shuffling and glanced over to see Jensen stacking the paper and pencils in a neat pile in the middle of the table. He stood there watching Jensen until the sound of a vehicle approaching broke the quiet that had settled over the cabin. Wearily he walked over to the front door and pulled it open to greet JD as he approached. “JD,” Jared said quietly.

“Jared, thanks for letting me come out on such short notice,” JD said as he strode over to offer his hand to the alpha. After shaking hands, he was ushered inside. “Jensen, you’re looking much better. You’d never know anything had happened.” He eyed Jared and saw him ball his fist up. He heaved a heavy sigh, but continued. “So, I need you to tell me in your own words what happened, what you remember from that night so I can add it to the case file.”

Jensen rubbed at the back of his head. “I don’t really think I’ll be much help or have a lot to add. I still don’t remember anything aside from driving up to my aunt’s place. Then it’s all a blank until I woke up here. I’m sorry I can’t be more help.”

“Hey, it’s alright, don’t beat yourself up over not remembering. You may never get those memories back. Maybe that’s a blessing, think of it that way,” JD said. 

“Yeah, maybe,” Jensen answered. 

JD turned to regard Jared again. “I was able to keep your name out of the case. I already had plenty of witnesses, so there wasn’t any reason to include you as one of those who had been in the diner.”

“Thanks for that,” Jared responded in a tight sounding voice.

“So, when can I go back to my aunt’s?” Jensen asked.

Jared felt like he was about to break apart as he listened to the exchange between the two men. He heard his wolf growl at the thought of Jensen leaving. He needed more time with Jensen. He needed more time to explain things to him. “You’re welcome to stay longer. I can take you back in a few days if you want. There’s no rush,” Jared offered, nearly begging Jensen to stay.

Jensen shook his head. “I’m sorry, I can’t. I mean, I’ve intruded on your life enough as it is. I need to get back to my life, figure things out. Maybe . . . maybe I can call you? We can talk . . .” His heart felt heavy as he uttered those words. Why did it hurt to know he was leaving? Why did Jared look so sad? The guy should be jumping for joy to get his cabin back for himself, knowing he wouldn’t have to worry about his sorry ass. 

“Yeah . . . yeah, sure. Let me write down my number for you.” Jared grabbed one of the papers off the table, picked up a pencil and wrote out his name, cell phone number and email. He forced a smile on his face, even though it was one of the hardest things he had ever had to do. He had to let Jensen go; he had made his decision. “So, here’s my information,” he said as he offered the paper to Jensen.

“Thanks. I’d give you mine, but I’m not sure what happened to my phone.” He turned to JD, “Did you find it at my aunt’s?” 

“We found your truck, keys and a broken cell phone.” He saw the defeated look on Jensen’s face. “Sorry, kid, but you can get a new one, and a new battery for your truck. When we got there, we found the door had been left open, the interior light drained your battery.”

“Great,” Jensen breathed out. 

Jared could feel the sadness coming off of Jensen and it was beginning to drive him and his wolf crazy knowing there was nothing he could do to help him.  _ “Comfort, mate needs comfort,” _ his wolf whined. 

JD’s phone chirped, pulling Jensen and Jared’s attention to him. He pulled it out and frowned. “Sorry to rush this along, but duty calls.”

“No, it’s okay, it’s not like I have anything to pack up.” A bitter laugh escaped Jensen’s lips and he looked away. 

“I’ll give you two a minute,” JD said as he made his way to the door. “Jared.” He nodded his goodbye and walked out to wait by his SUV.

Jensen forced himself to look up at Jared. “Thank you for everything you did for me.” He clutched the paper in his hand. “I’ll call you as soon as I get a new phone. Maybe we can get together for dinner? My way of thanking you.” 

Jared gave him a weak smile. “Yeah, I’d like that. And, I meant what I said, you’re always welcome here. You don’t even have to call ahead.”

“Thanks,” Jensen whispered. He turned and started for the door, not able to look at Jared. As he got to the SUV and opened the passenger’s side door he looked back to see Jared standing in the doorway, looking like he felt; sad, like he was leaving a piece of himself behind. “Hey, you’ll have to see me again, I’m wearing Chad’s clothing and he did say he wanted them back, eventually.” He watched a slight smile played over Jared’s lips.

“Yeah, he’ll definitely want them back. Remember you’re always welcome here, no call necessary,” Jared replied. He watched as Jensen got in next to JD, pulled the seat belt over himself and then the SUV pulled away. He saw Jensen turn in his seat to wave at him and he returned the parting gesture. He stood there, watching until the vehicle disappeared from sight and then he was hit with a crucial thought; he hadn’t had a chance to explain anything to Jensen. He walked back into his cabin, slamming the door closed as he did. His eyes scanned the room, coming to rest on the table and the items left behind. He picked up one of Jensen’s sketches and stared down at himself. Every page that Jensen had filled was of him. He crossed the room and pulled open the closet door, turned on the light and reached up to bring down a keepsake box he kept stored away. He opened it and smiled as he looked down upon the smiling faces of his parents. He gently ran his fingers over the photo before placing the sketches on top, closing the lid and replacing it back on the shelf. He turned off the light and closed the door, making a mental note to return the paper and pencils to Cassidy in the morning.

As he slid into the passenger’s side of JD’s SUV, Jensen felt his heart sink down into his stomach. He was leaving Jared. He didn’t want to, but he knew it was for the best. He had intruded on Jared’s life, and caused a disruption for him. As JD started the engine and put the SUV in gear, he turned to look back at Jared. He raised his hand and waved at him. Once Jared had returned the wave he turned around, but let his eyes glance to the side mirror, keeping Jared in his sight until he and the cabin were a blur in the mirror. 

JD looked over at Jensen and cleared his throat to get his attention. He watched as Jensen turned to look at him with a sad smile on his face. “You like him, don’t you.” It was a statement not a question. He heard Jensen’s soft ‘Yeah’ and nodded. “He’s a good guy, you could do a hell of a lot worse than him.”

“Have you known him long?” Jensen dared to ask.

“Yeah, we go way back. Those that live on his land, he takes care of them, makes sure they have what they need. No one from town really bothers anyone out there. A few work in town, nice people, like Jared. Jared stops into town about once a month, always quiet and respectful. He treats people like you should, you know? The only time I’ve ever seen him lose his temper was over you and he didn’t even know who you were,” JD explained.

“Me?” Jensen asked in a stunned voice.

“Yeah, he doesn’t take too kindly to anyone hurting another person, whether he knows them or not. He was ready to rip Mick apart. Course, I think it was because he might be a little enamored of you. He’s never offered to let anyone stay with him, or told them they could drop by, and that they didn’t have to call ahead.” JD gave him a wide grin and then winked at him before focusing on the drive back into town and to Jensen’s aunt’s place.

Jensen sat silently for the rest of the drive back, trying to make sense of everything. Jared was a mystery to him, one that pulled at him. His own feelings were surprising. He had never felt the way he felt before. It was all he could do not to beg JD to turn the vehicle around and take him back, hoping that Jared would be happy to see him and welcome him with open arms. JD’s voice pulled him from his thoughts.

“Well, kid, we’re here,” JD said as he pulled to a stop in front of his aunt’s. “So, you think you’re gonna stick around here or sell the place like you had intended to do?” JD asked as Jensen got out, stopping him from shutting the door. 

Jensen bent down to look at JD through the open door. “I’m not sure yet. I have a few things to think about.” He was about to close the door when JD stopped him.

“Here you’ll need these,” JD said as he slid Jensen’s keys across the seat to him. “Hope to see you around,” he called as Jensen closed the door. He waited until Jensen disappeared inside before he drove off.

The night Jensen returned to his aunt’s had been difficult for Jared. He paced the floor of his cabin trying to calm his nerves. Feeling caged in he stripped off his clothes, shifted into his wolf and disappear into the surrounding woods. He needed to run, he needed to lose himself so he didn’t feel the grief he was dealing with from letting Jensen go. Panting, he came to a stop when he realized he had made his way to Jensen. He could see his mate through the kitchen window. Jensen was staring off into the darkness of the woods. Resting on his haunches he raised his head to the sky and let out a sorrowful howl. 

The sound from outside caught Jensen’s attention. He turned on the outside light and opened the backdoor. He stepped out onto the back porch and waited. He heard another howl and his heart ached from the sound of it. The wolf sounded like it was in mourning. He knew how it felt. He had only known Jared for a few days, but he felt like he had lost him when he told Jared he needed to get back to his life. The question was; what life? He had no one. With a shake of his head, he turned, and walked back inside. He made sure the door was locked before shutting off the lights and leaving the kitchen. He climbed the stairs to the bedroom he slept in when he visited his aunt and crawled into bed, not bothering to change. He lay staring up at the darkened ceiling, thinking of Jared and feeling as if he was missing a piece of himself, until he fell asleep. 

Night after night Jared returned to Jensen as a wolf. Inching closer, he dared to let Jensen see him in his wolf form on the third night. He sat at the edge of the woods and watched as Jensen paced the kitchen floor. He whimpered at being separated from his mate and then raised his head and howled, letting Jensen know he was there before settling down with his head resting on his paws. He watched as Jensen turned on the light to the back porch and stepped outside, looking around for the source of the sound that had caught his attention. He sat up and yipped, drawing Jensen’s attention to him. 

Jensen stood there, too afraid to move for fear of frightening off the wolf sitting at the edge of the back yard. He watched as the wolf stood and took a few steps forward. The animal was huge, larger than any wolf he had seen in pictures or on TV. As the wolf came closer his breath hitched in his throat when he saw the color of its fur and that it was male. This was the wolf from the picture his aunt had sent him, but now he was an adult.  _ Alpha _ , his mind screamed and then he instantly thought of Jared. Jared knew of the wolves and he wished Jared was there with him, sharing this with him. “It’s you. You’re the alpha.” He looked around trying to see any other wolves. “Where’s your mate?” he asked and heard the wolf whimper. “All alone, huh? Me, too.” He dared to take a few steps closer, coming to stand at the edge of the porch. “How come you’re alone? You’re a handsome wolf, I bet you have all the females showing their submission to you.”

Jared huffed at Jensen’s words and then shook his body, as if trying to tell Jensen no. He didn’t want a female; he wanted his mate and his mate was standing right in front of him. He gave a yip and watched as Jensen chuckled. Jensen smiled at him, he looked happy for the first time since he had woken up to find himself in a stranger’s cabin. But he did feel an underlying sadness coming from him. He wanted to comfort him, but knew he couldn’t, not in his wolf form. He was about to move closer when he heard a howl. He turned toward the sound and howled back, answering the call from one of his pack members. The pack had been restless, feeding off of his melancholic mood since Jensen left, and they were anxious from his disappearances. 

“Gotta go, huh?” Jensen asked with a hint of sorrow in his voice. He enjoyed seeing the alpha. The wolf lifted his spirits. He didn’t feel so alone with him there. He hadn’t made it into town yet to pick up a new phone and the landline had long been disconnected. He had been able, with JD’s help, to schedule the battery replacement for his truck at the local service station, but that was still a day away. He had been hoping that Jared would just show up on his doorstep, but he had told Jared he needed to get his shit together and that he would call Jared. He watched as the wolf turned back to him and he gave him a rueful smile. “Yeah, I get it, duty calls. You’re the alpha and your pack needs you.” 

Jared stood there for a moment locking eyes with Jensen before he turned and disappeared into the woods to return to his pack. Jensen had been right, he had a duty to his pack. They needed their alpha. He returned to his pack to find Christian waiting for him by his cabin. 

“Where the hell have you been?” Christian demanded.

With a sigh, Jared shifted and stood glaring at Christian. “I was with Jensen, letting him get used to my wolf form.”

“The pack is worried about you. I’m worried about you. I know you’re hurting, that you’re missing him. We just want to help,” Christian told him.

Striding toward his cabin Jared said over his shoulder, “I know, and I appreciate it. I’ll call a pack meeting tomorrow. I’ll assure them that I’m alright.”

Christian grabbed him by the arm, stopping Jared before he climbed the steps to his door. “Are you? Are you really alright?”

“Does it matter?” Jared asked as he pulled out of Christian’s hold. 

“Yes, of course it matters,” Christian huffed out.

“I’ll figure things out, don’t worry. Have the borders of the packlands been patrolled?” Jared inquired, trying to get his mind off of Jensen.

“Deflecting?” Christian commented and heard a low angry growl coming from Jared. “Yes, they’ve been patrolled and we’ll patrol them one more time before turning in,” he assured Jared.

“Good, thank you. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Jared stated before disappearing into his cabin for the night. He showered and dressed in a pair of sleep pants before wandering out to the kitchen area. He grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator, twisted off the cap and drank half the bottle. He knew he needed to get some work done on the new book he had been working on, but since Jensen had left, he couldn’t string words together to create a coherent sentence. He placed the bottle down and rubbed his fingers over his temple before opening his mind to the pack. He could feel a jumble of emotions rushing toward him; love, hope, sadness and fear. He pushed through them to call on his pack, setting up a meeting to happen when all the members were on packlands in the evening. With that done he dragged himself over to his bed and crawled onto it. He buried his nose in the pillows, picking up the faint scent that Jensen had left behind. He knew he needed to strip the bed, put on fresh bedding, but he just couldn’t do it yet. Aside from Jensen’s sketches, that was all he had of him. 

Jared stayed inside his cabin, working on his book until it was time to meet with his pack. He emerged from his cabin as the sun hung low in the sky and joined those who had already made their way over to the fire pit. He greeted those already there and waited until the last of the pack appeared before speaking. 

“Thank you for coming. I know you’ve all been worried about me and the fact that Jensen chose to leave. I appreciate your care and comfort. I knew there was a possibility of that happening and my sadness over it has been felt by all of you and I’m sorry for that. The past few nights I’ve gone to him in my wolf form. He doesn’t know the wolf he’s seen is me, but he has been receptive. I’m asking you to give me time to work things out. If you have any concerns, I hope you know that you can speak to me. If, for any reason you don’t think you can, Chad or Christian are always willing to listen.” Jared watched as Cassidy stood. Without hesitation she ran to him, wrapping her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly.

“We hurt because you hurt, Alpha,” Cassidy told him. 

Jared returned the heartfelt hug and then looked over to the faces of his pack to see that several members were softly crying. “Please don’t cry,” he said in a soothing voice. He held Cassidy at arm’s-length and then crouched down to wipe away her tears. He gave her a soft smile, trying to assure her that he was fine. “I promise, I’ll be fine, no matter what happens. Thank you for caring so much about me.” He let go of her, watching her return to her parents and then stood to his full height. “Really, whatever happens, I’ll be alright. This pack will be just as strong as it has always been. Thank you again for your support in me as your alpha. Now I know everyone has other things they’d rather be doing, so I’ll let you get back to that.” He watched as the pack members started to move off, some of them stopped to give him a hug, needing his touch as much as he needed theirs until it was just him, Chad and Christian standing there. 

Christian turned to Jared, staring at him as if he was trying to see into his soul. “What are you gonna do?” Christian questioned.

“I don’t know,” Jared admitted.

Chad looked from Jared to Christian as they spoke, choosing to remain quiet. 

“He won’t be able to carry your pups . . .” Christian started to say.

“I don’t care about that. I care about Jensen, about his happiness. I don’t need to sire a pup,” Jared retorted. “But, he’s made his decision, he wanted to return to his life. I can’t take that away from him. I just miss him so damn much. I just don’t know what the answer is - let him go or tell him everything.”

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think you should tell Jensen the truth. You’re never gonna know until you try,” Chad commented. “You’re an idiot if you don’t.” He looked up to see both men gaping at him in shock. 

“It’s not that simple,” Jared responded.

“Tell him you love him, it’s as simple as that,” Chad assured him. “The way I see it, you deserve to be happy. Jensen makes you happy. You’ve been brooding ever since he left. So, man up, be the alpha we all know you are and go claim your mate,” Chad said as he squared his shoulders before he gave Jared a pointed look and took off in the direction of his cabin.

Jared dragged his hands down his face and then turned to look at Christian. “When the hell did he get so insightful?” 

“Fuck if I know!” Christian shot back at him and then started to laugh. He heard Jared join in and knocked shoulders with him, enjoying the carefree moment between them. 

“Maybe he’s right,” Jared mused as he stood up. “Just don’t tell him I said that.” He glanced over his shoulder to see Christian smirking at him. He huffed in annoyance as he stripped off his clothing and then shifted into his wolf.  _ “I’m going to see Jensen, wish me luck.” _ Not waiting for a response, he took off in the direction of Jensen’s aunt’s place. When he arrived, he found Jensen already outside, sitting on the stairs. Was Jensen waiting for him? 

Jensen heard movement and turned his attention to the edge of the back yard. He knew he was being stupid, sitting there hoping that the alpha would show himself again. He just couldn’t help himself, he was drawn to the powerful creature, just as he felt the pull to Jared. He broke out into a smile when he saw the alpha making his way over to him. “Hey, there you are. I wasn’t sure if you’d come back. I guess two single guys need to hang out together.” He felt his loneliness start to lift slightly. 

Jared huffed at Jensen and then laid down a few feet away from him. His heart was hammering in his chest. He needed to calm down before he revealed himself. He wanted Jensen calm as well. His ears pricked up at the sound of Jensen’s voice and he tilted his head to listen to him.

“So, I met someone. I really like him, it’s just . . . well, he’s different and I don’t know what to make of him, or if he’s even interested in me. He lives here, not in town though. I’ve only known him for a few days, but I think I might have fallen in love with him.” He looked over at the wolf who had moved closer to him. He was now lying only a few feet away with his head resting on his paws, his eyes were open and watching him as if he was listening intently to him. “I know, it’s stupid, I’m stupid. He and two of his friends found me. He took me in and cared for me when I had been hurt. He didn’t even know me, he didn’t have to do what he did.” He rubbed at his tired eyes before placing his elbows on his knees and rested his head in his hands. “I miss him,” he whispered and fought back the tears pricking at his closed eyes. 

Jared couldn’t take hearing or feeling the pain Jensen was in, it was heartbreaking, matching his own pain. He stood and made his way over to Jensen, nosing at his arm before resting his head on Jensen’s thigh. He heard Jensen gasp, felt Jensen shift, and then his hand was stroking through his fur. He huffed in contentment, enjoying the feel of Jensen’s warmth against his body before he pulled away. He watched as Jensen looked at him. They locked eyes, staring at each other.  _ “Don’t be afraid.” _ He heard Jensen’s breath hitch and watched as his eyes widened in shock. “I’ve missed you, too,” he said as he knelt, naked and no longer in his wolf form, next to Jensen. 

Jensen stared at Jared, his mind trying to work out how Jared was there where the wolf had been only moments before. “H . . . how is this even possible?” he managed to get out. He tried to scramble away only for Jared to grab his hands to stop him. 

“Wait, please let me explain,” Jared begged. He could see the fear reflected in Jensen’s green eyes and could feel the emotion coming off of him strongly. “Please, I’ve missed you and I wanted to see you, tell you . . .”

Jensen cut Jared off from speaking. “What are you? How did . . . Was that your voice I heard in my mind? No,” he said with a shake of his head, “no, I have to be going crazy. This isn’t real, none of this is real.”

Before Jensen could say anything else, Jared pulled him into a passionate kiss. “Does that feel real?” he asked, still holding onto him tightly when the kiss broke. “Please hear me out, let me explain things and then if you want me to leave, I will.” 

Slowly Jensen shook his head yes. “Okay, uhm, but we should probably go inside since you’re not wearing any clothes,” he managed to point out and then let his eyes rove over Jared’s body because he was standing less than a foot away from him, and _Jared was_ _naked_, his mind screamed. He stopped himself from reaching out and touching the tan skin on display. Instead, he turned and walked back into the house, closely followed by Jared, and he could feel the heat radiating from Jared’s body as he was so close. “Wait here,” he said over his shoulder and disappeared from the kitchen.

Jared heard Jensen’s footsteps as he ran up the stairs and then his movements overhead as he walked into a room. He turned in the direction Jensen had disappeared to see him entering the kitchen. He smirked when he saw Jensen’s flabbergasted reaction to seeing him standing in the kitchen naked.

“Here, put that on,” Jensen said as he tossed Jared a pair of his sweatpants and then turned around. He knew they wouldn’t fit him lengthwise, but they would cover the part of Jared’s body that had held his interest. If it wasn’t for the fact that he had no idea how to make sense of what had just happened, he’d be bending over for Jared, letting Jared do whatever he wanted to him. The man was proportional, that was for damn sure. Impressive might have been a better word, and then he palmed his face.  _ Oh my God, I’m fucking going to Hell _ , he thought to himself. He heard Jared telling him it was alright to turn around. He did, only to find himself distracted by Jared’s muscular arms and chest, which were still on display. He bit his bottom lip to hold back the whimper that was threatening to escape from his throat.  _ Yes, definitely going to Hell _ , he thought and then managed to raise his eyes to meet Jared’s. “Okay, explain,” he said trying to sound angry and failing. 

Jared pointed to the kitchen table and chairs, “Can we sit?” He watched as Jensen nodded and then sat down. He pulled out the chair across from him and sat down, placing his hands on the table. He wanted to reach over and touch Jensen, but he knew that would only scare him at that moment. “I know you’re shocked, freaked out and probably have a lot of questions. I’m sorry that I scared you. I never meant to do that. I was going to tell you about me, about what I am, but everything happened so fast. You were with me one moment and then you were driving away with JD the next.” He gave Jensen a weak smile and then continued on. “Have you ever heard the term Were?”

Jensen shook his head. “No. Why, what is that?”

Jared sighed, remembering Jensen wasn’t really from Bear Neck. The term, while common there, might not be well known or even used in other parts of the state. And, if he remembered correctly, Jensen and his parents lived out of state. He had no idea if other Were communities made their existence known or chose to live in seclusion.

“Wait, Were, as in Werewolf?” Jensen asked with a hint of disbelief in his voice.

Jared chucked, “Yes, it’s a term used to define my kind.” He saw Jensen sit up a little straighter as he began to explain. “I’m not quite human, but you don’t have anything to fear from me,” he rushed out when he saw Jensen’s expression of fear. “I would never hurt you, you have my word on that. The people you met the other day, they’re also Weres. They’re my pack, my family. We’re able to shift into our wolf form. We can live as a wolf or as a human. I’m their alpha, basically their leader, for lack of a better term. Christian and Chad are betas, and my seconds in command and they’ll step in when I’m not available or when one of the pack members feels they can’t speak to me.”

“That night in your cabin, there was a wolf . . . an alpha. Was that you?” Jensen questioned.

Jared dropped his gaze to his hands before answering, “Yes, I’m sorry. To me and my wolf, you’re our mate and we wanted to be close to you, to comfort you.” He raised his eyes to look at Jensen, whose eyebrows were knitted in concentration. “I know this is a lot to take in. It all sounds crazy when I say it out loud. But it’s the truth. The town knows about us. They respect our ways, well, most do. They usually don’t bother us, never cross into pack territory without my permission. The lands have been in my family’s name for generations. The guy who attacked you thought you were from my pack, or at least like us. He said your eyes were glowing and you were acting like you were trying to claw your skin off.”

“But I’m not like you. I can’t shift into another animal, I’m human,” Jensen protested. 

“I think we both know that’s not true. You’re something in between, not human and not a Were,” Jared explained. “You never knew your biological parents, but I suspect that one of them was human while the other was a Were. That would account for your quick healing. It’s a Were trait. It also explains your glowing eyes and the feeling of your skin being too tight. That happens when you’re upset, doesn’t it?” 

“Yes, but I just thought I was going crazy,” Jensen whispered. 

“You’re not, you just didn’t know what was going on with your own body. It makes me think your mother was human and had no idea what your father was. He may not have known about you. It’s very rare that a Were would abandon its own pup. Not willingly. I’m so sorry you never knew what pack life was like while growing up. You wouldn’t have been alone. A pack cares for every member, loves and protects them, no matter their ranking.”

“Ranking?” Jensen asked as he cocked his head to the side, still trying to take in everything Jared was telling him. He wasn’t human or Were, he was something in between. It still made him different, like he didn’t fit in anywhere in the world.

“Yes, a pack is usually made up of an alpha, betas and omegas. Each pack is different in how they treat those members. An alpha is considered the highest-ranking member of the pack, being the ultimate protector and leader. Then there are the betas who can be male or female, some are protectors, like Christian and Chad, while others are caregivers, and bearers. The last are the omegas, those that are smaller and, in some cases, seen as weaker. I don’t view an omega as that. Without them, the pups wouldn’t be cared for as well as they are. I’ve seen an omega fight just as hard as any alpha or beta to protect a pup. They are far from weak. But, that’s just my take on things. Other packs treat their members how they choose, the alpha as the leader and no one else has a say. I don’t lead like that; we’re a family,” Jared explained. 

“That’s great, but I still don’t fit in. I’m neither human or a Were,” Jensen said as he pushed himself back from the table and stood. 

Jared stood, but remained where he was. He could feel so much turmoil coming from Jensen; fear, sadness, anger, happiness and love - love for him. “Jensen,” Jared called softly. When Jensen didn’t turn to him, he came to stand next to him and gingerly placed a hand on his shoulder. “Jensen, you have a place in my pack, if you want. It’s up to you. The pack would be thrilled to call you a member. They already think of you as one. I do, too.” 

Jensen turned to look at Jared. He saw so much love and acceptance in his hazel eyes. He wanted that, to believe that the pack would accept him, that Jared wanted him. There was one major issue with Jared’s reasoning. He was male, unable to give an alpha a child and normally it was the alpha and his mate who reproduced, further enabling the existence of their pack. Well, in an actual wolf pack, not a pack comprised of Weres. “And you see me as your mate? I can’t be, you’ve got that wrong. There’s no way I can be your mate. I can’t carry your pups. There’s no way I could ever give you children and I know how important that is to a pack alpha.”

Jared reached out and cupped Jensen’s face in his hands. “Maybe to some, but not me. I never thought I’d find a mate, so I never intended to have pups of my own. We can always foster, if that’s what you want,” Jared offered. 

Shaking his head, Jensen pulled away from Jared’s touch. “If only it was that easy. So, I might be, what a half-breed? I’ll never be like you. What if you meet someone who can give you your own pup? What if you want someone who can shift? What if you want someone who is actually meant to be your mate?” Jensen watched as Jared’s features darkened in anger and held up his hand, stopping him from speaking. “Look, you’re just feeling this way because you’ve mistaken pity for something else. You found someone who needed your care and protection, but when you realize that what you thought was love really isn’t, then what?” He backed away from Jared. “I’m sorry. I think you should leave. In a few days you’ll realize I was right,” he said as he walked away from Jared, leaving the kitchen. He was doing the right thing he told himself. Jared would see that once he returned to his pack. As much as he wanted to be Jared’s, there was no way that he could give him everything he deserved, when all he had to offer was his love. 

Jared closed his eyes, trying to calm himself and his wolf. They both knew the truth; Jensen was his mate and there would never be anyone else. “Jensen, you’re wrong.” He wasn’t willing to let him go and he wasn’t leaving, not when he had felt Jensen’s love for him. He strode into the living room where Jensen had retreated to. Jensen had his back to him, and he reached out and spun him around. “No, damn it, I’m not letting you go. You feel it just as much as I do, the pull. We’re meant to be together; we’re mates.” When Jensen tried to contradict him, he stopped him. “Look me in the eye and tell me you feel nothing for me. I felt your love for me. I felt all of your emotions, the good and the bad. You were able to hear my voice in your mind, only Weres can do that, and only ones of the same pack or who are mated. So tell me, do you really want me to go? Do you really want to turn your back on what I’m offering you?”

Jensen closed his eyes and sucked in a breath. He couldn’t say no to anything Jared had just asked him, and he didn’t want to. He did feel the pull that Jared spoke of. “No,” he whispered, “No, I don’t want you to go. We’ve only known each other for a few days, but I don’t want to be without you.” He felt Jared pulling him into his arms and then Jared’s lips were on his. He let himself relax into his touch, and returned the kiss.  _ I’m your mate, _ he thought to himself. He reached up and tangled his fingers in Jared’s hair, not wanting to let go of him, deepening their kiss.

“Yes, you are,” Jared murmured against Jensen’s lips.

“I didn’t say anything,” Jensen protested.

“Not verbally, but mentally you did, and I was able to hear you.” He heard Jensen’s soft gasp and chuckled. “Don’t worry, I’ll teach you how to control that so only those you want to hear your thoughts do, and only when you want them to. Oh, there’s one thing I forgot to mention,” Jared said and gave Jensen a sheepish grin.

“Do I really want to know what it is?” Jensen questioned.

“It’s not bad. It’s just that like wolves, Weres mate for life,” Jared explained. “So, if you want me, you’ll be stuck with me for the rest of our lives.” He offered Jensen a dimpled grin and then chuckled when Jensen rolled his eyes at him.

“Well, I guess you’ll be stuck with me, too.” Jensen looked into Jared’s eyes and saw they were darkened with desire reflected in them. He felt a warm heat developing in the pit of his stomach and he shuddered from the sensation. Silently he entwined his fingers with Jared’s and led him out of the living room, and to the stairs leading upstairs. He stopped at the bottom step and glanced over his shoulder at Jared to see that Jared was staring at him intently. Without hesitation, he tugged on Jared’s arm, getting him to follow him upstairs and into his room. When they were standing in the middle of the bedroom, not far from the queen size bed, Jensen turned to look at Jared. “I . . . I thought . . . maybe? Maybe this was a stupid idea,” he said and then bit his bottom lip, dropping his gaze down to look at the floor. He could feel his cheeks begin to burn from embarrassment and then the tightening of his skin, causing him to wince in pain. 

Jared felt Jensen’s uncertainty and then his pain. He reached out and cupped Jensen’s face, turning it so he was able to look into Jensen’s eyes. When Jensen met his gaze, he saw that his green eyes were glowing. “Hey, take a deep breath. You thought right,” he whispered as he leaned down and kissed Jensen’s lips. “I want you, make no mistake about that, but we don’t have to rush into anything.” He heard Jensen’s soft ‘Okay’ and then Jensen rested his head on his shoulder. They stood there with their arms entwined until he felt Jensen relax. “Tell me what you want. I won’t do anything you don’t want. As my mate, I will always protect you, care for you and love you.”

Jensen felt his breath stutter in his chest. He not only heard Jared’s words, and knew them to be true, but he felt the emotion behind them from Jared. “Thank you.” He took a deep breath and looked up into Jared’s eyes. “What I want is to belong to you, to be your mate and part of your pack.”

Jared ran his thumb along Jensen’s bottom lip. “Is that all? That I can do, gladly,” he said and then leaned down to capture Jensen’s lips in a soft kiss. He nudged at Jensen’s lips with his tongue pushing past, searching, curious in his exploration of Jensen’s mouth. Their tongues brushed together, pushed at each other and he moaned as he sucked on Jensen’s tongue. Heat and want for Jensen flooded his body and he forced himself to pull away from him before things went too far, before Jensen was ready. 

Jensen’s eyes were glazed over as he looked at Jared. He was burning with want and need for more from Jared, for Jared to make love to him. The touch of Jared’s fingers burned against his flesh and anticipation simmered in his belly. “I want more, I want you to make love to me.” He watched as Jared opened his mouth to say something, but stopped when he reached up, tangled his fingers in Jared’s hair to pull him down and kiss him roughly, leaving no question as to what he wanted. He slid his hands along Jared’s bare shoulders, his fingers dug into the flesh and muscle underneath before Jared’s fingers toyed with the hem of his shirt.

Jared pushed Jensen’s shirt up and over his head to drag it off his body. He let it fall to the floor and then his fingers worked the button open and the zipper down on his jeans. His hands went to Jensen’s hips to push his pants and underwear down together as Jensen toed off his shoes and then kicked off the rest of his clothing. He took his fill of Jensen’s body; his chest wasn’t as muscular as his, but he was well defined - broad shoulders, slim waist and slightly bowed legs. “Jensen, I can’t believe you’re my mate. I’m so damn lucky,” Jared said with sincerity and then pulled him in for another heated kiss. His cock twitched in anticipation of taking his mate. Jensen arched against him, wanting more as he gave a needy whine. “You’re beautiful, knew you would be,” Jared’s voice was thick with lust as he spoke. He ran his fingers along Jensen’s hip and then walked them toward the bed, stopping before the back of Jensen’s legs hit the bed frame.

Jensen felt like he was going to explode apart if Jared stopped touching him. His long dark lashes fluttered as he closed his eyes for a moment as his breathing became erratic. He opened his eyes as Jared helped him to lie on the bed and then stood to his full height. He watched as Jared hooked his thumbs under the waistband of the borrowed sweatpants and then pushed them down to his ankles and stepped out of them. Jensen’s eyes were dark and unfocused with desire as he watched Jared smirk at him. 

The bed dipped with extra weight as Jared climbed onto it, nudging Jensen’s legs apart to crawl between them. Jensen’s breath hitched and his thighs tensed when he placed his hands on Jensen’s inner thighs. Jared smiled at him as he leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on the side of Jensen’s knee. He let his fingers trail over Jensen’s hard cock, teasing him as Jensen arched into his touch.

Jensen licked his lips, looking like sin personified, before tossing his head back when Jared’s fingers grazed his cock. He bucked his hips forward, trying to coax Jared into touching him again. He whined at the loss of Jared’s warm hand against his cock when it moved up to his chest. Jared’s hand rested over his rapidly beating heart for a moment before he felt the loss of its warmth as Jared brought both hands up to bracket his shoulders. 

Jared lowered himself down so he could kiss along Jensen’s jawline, nipping and licking his way until he reached the junction where Jensen’s neck met his shoulder. He bit down hard on his shoulder and then his tongue worried over the mark he left on Jensen’s pale skin. He growled low in his throat, satisfied that he had marked his mate in some way. He peppered Jensen’s chest with kisses. He swirled his tongue over one of Jensen’s nipples, pulling breathless moans from him as he worked the other between his thumb and forefinger. 

Jensen’s skin felt like it was on fire as Jared’s fingers and lips trailed over his body. All he felt was intense pleasure from everything Jared was doing to him. He let his legs fall open as Jared moved down his body, kissing along his stomach and then hips before Jared wrapped his hand around his throbbing cock and licked at the head. 

Jared rolled his tongue over the head, lapping at the salty precome glistening at the tip. He gripped Jensen’s erect cock by the base and then sucked the head in between his lips, his tongue running along the underside of it. A tight noise of surprise escaped Jensen’s throat and his body jerked up pushing his cock further into his mouth. The heavy scent of Jensen’s musk assaulted his nostrils and he moaned when Jensen’s fingers tangled in his hair as he began to bob up and down on Jensen’s cock. The whimpering noises Jensen was making were sweet-sounding to his ears. 

Jensen was breathing hard, “Jared . . . please.”

He pulled off and looked at Jensen to see his chest was heaving. “What do you want?” he asked as he moved up Jensen’s body to once more claim his lips, kissing him deeply.

“Want . . . want to . . . ride you,” Jensen panted out when Jared broke their kiss and growled in response. 

An intense wave of pleasure crashed over Jared’s body. His cock was thick and heavy hanging between his legs, and all he could think about was making Jensen his mate. He managed to roll them so he was lying on his back, with his cock lying thick and proud against his thigh. Jensen slid over him, straddling him with a knee pressed into the mattress on either side of his hips. He looked up at Jensen, into his lust blown eyes, and he could barely see the irises, the black of his pupil eclipsing the green. He reached up, sliding a hand along Jensen’s cock, before trailing his fingers along his abs until his hand rested over Jensen’s rapidly beating heart. Jensen’s expression didn’t change, he just stared down at Jared with darkened eyes, as he worked himself open. Jared groaned when he realized what Jensen was doing, working himself open on his own fingers. All he wanted to do was sink his cock into Jensen’s tight hole, but he was too mesmerized by Jensen’s wanton display to move. 

Jensen pressed a hand to Jared’s shoulder to steady himself as he brought his hand to his mouth, two fingers disappearing between his plush lips as he licked them, slicking them up before he pulled his fingers free with a wet pop and then reached back behind himself, to push his fingers into his channel, working himself open on his fingers. When he was sure he would be able to take Jared, he pulled his fingers from his body and wrapped his hand around Jared’s cock. It felt heavy and full in his hand as he guided it to his spit slicked hole. He slid down onto Jared’s cock in one move and groaned at the feeling of being so full.

“Gods, yes, Jensen,” Jared murmured when he felt Jensen reach for his throbbing cock. Feeling the heat of Jensen’s body around his cock nearly had him coming. Jared reached up, placing his hands on Jensen’s hips, holding him flush against his body. A feral growl escaped his lips as he slid into Jensen for the first time. “Fuck, you feel so good,” he groaned out trying not to buck up before Jensen had adjusted to being breached. 

Jensen leaned down, resting a hand next to Jared’s head as he nipped at Jared’s mouth. He rolled his hips, and a little moan of pleasure escaped his parted lips. He felt Jared’s hands grip his hips, lifting him up only to pull him back down, impaling him on his hard cock. He groaned as pleasure shot through his body when Jared hit his prostate. He closed his eyes and tossed his head back, enjoying the feeling of Jared moving inside him. 

Jared reached up with one hand and pulled Jensen down to him, pressing their chests together as he thrust up into him. He licked into Jensen’s mouth, swallowing his moans before biting Jensen’s bottom lip. “Can we . . .” he panted into Jensen’s ear and felt him nod his head, knowing what he was asking.

Jensen felt Jared lift him up, manhandling him onto his back and he whimpered in protest when Jared pulled out of him. “Please . . .” he begged and was silenced when Jared kissed him again. He heard Jared telling him he would give him everything he wanted. “Yes” he murmured as he spread his legs, giving Jared access to his body.

Fixing his eyes on Jensen, he watched his face as he slid into him. Jensen’s lips parted in a silent moan, and his eyes fluttered closed as he pushed into him. “I want to make this good for you,” Jared husked out. He heard Jensen’s breath hitch in his throat as he breached him. He waited to move, giving Jensen a chance to catch his breath. Slowly he rocked his hips forward, inching himself into Jensen’s tight channel. Their moans mingled together as he bottomed out, his hips resting against Jensen’s ass. He pressed his body against Jensen’s as if he was trying to become one with him.

“Jared,” Jensen called out as he wrapped his legs around his waist. He reached up and gripped Jared’s shoulders, his fingers digging into the flexing muscles. He craned his neck, searching for Jared’s lips. He moaned against them when Jared pulled out and pushed back into him. He felt the familiar tingle at the base of his spine as his orgasm began to build.

Jared rocked his hips against Jensen’s ass, making sure to hit his prostate. The friction of skin on skin felt so good as Jared quickened his pace, thrusting into Jensen and moving him up the bed. 

“Jared . . . so close,” Jensen gasped before his muscles locked up. His back arched off the bed as he came screaming Jared’s name, spilling between their bodies. 

The feeling of Jensen’s ass clenching tightly around him was all he needed to send him over the edge; he thrust up into Jensen as far as he could, and came, filling him with his come. Lazily he rocked into Jensen, working them both through the aftershocks of their orgasms. He buried his head in the crock of Jensen’s shoulder and kissed along the sensitive skin before raising his head to look at Jensen. “I love you,” he said as he gently pulled his softening cock from Jensen’s body.

Jensen reached up and pushed Jared’s damp hair from his face. He locked eyes with him before saying, “I love you.”

“I need to claim you as my mate. Will you let me?” Jared asked desperately, fighting the urge just to sink his teeth into Jensen’s soft flesh. He wouldn’t do that to him, mark him as his without Jensen’s permission. He knew it would cause him pain, there was no way around that, but he would do his best to comfort him. 

“Yes, claim me,” Jensen managed to get out before he was hit with the feeling of Jared’s desperation. He marveled at Jared’s self-control as he looked up into Jared's red eyes.  _ “Alpha.” _ Jensen tilted his head to the side, offering his neck to Jared.

_ “Mate, my mate.” _ Jared growled low in his throat and then nosed along the soft column of Jensen's neck before sinking his teeth into the sensitive skin. He felt Jensen go rigid in his embrace and then felt the pain that flooded through Jensen's body. “I'm sorry. It was the only way for me to truly claim you,” he said softly as he lapped at the broken skin. 

Jensen gasped as pain radiated through his body. “It’s . . . okay,” he finally managed to say once the pain started to lessen. “I’m okay,” he assured Jared, trying to alleviate his guilt at causing him pain. “Really.” He reached up and caressed Jared’s check and then ran his fingers through his hair. 

“You’re sure?” Jared asked as he kissed him. He heard Jensen’s soft ‘Yes’ and nodded before climbing off the bed. “Bathroom?” 

“Next door down from this room,” Jensen replied and let his eyes fall closed. He listened to Jared’s movements and soft footfalls as he left the room and then returned. Jared’s hand on his shoulder forced him to crack his eyes open.

“Just gonna clean you up,” Jared explained and chuckled softly when Jensen only nodded his head and closed his eyes again. Once he was done, he coaxed Jensen into moving so they could both share the bed. He pulled the sheet and blanket up over their bodies and then pressed himself against Jensen. Jensen stirred against him, moving so he was resting with his head on his chest. “How’s your neck feeling?”

Jensen raised his hand to his neck and ran his fingers over the area Jared had bitten. The skin had already begun to heal over into what felt like a scar. “It’s fine, already started healing,” he murmured sleepily.

“Good, okay,” Jared responded. He smiled as he wrapped his arms around Jensen and drifted off to sleep content with the knowledge that his mate was safely asleep in his arms. 

Jensen slowly stirred in the bed next to Jared. He opened his eyes and quickly closed them; the room was too bright, even in the low light of the early morning sun. He opened them again, his eyelids fluttering as his adjusted to take in his surroundings. Something wasn’t right. He didn’t feel right. He went to raise his hand to rub at his eyes only to discover that he didn’t have a hand, he had a paw. He jolted up and nearly fell off the bed when he looked down at his arm to discover it was now his front leg and it was covered in silver fur. He whimpered at the sight and nosed at Jared, trying to wake him.

Jared felt something wet and cold press against his back. He huffed in slight annoyance and rolled over to pull Jensen closer to him, to find that his fingers brushed against fur, not skin. Opening his eyes, he sat up quickly to find a silver wolf with bright green eyes lying where Jensen had been. He smiled at the wolf and reached out to run his fingers through its fur. “Well, look at you, my beautiful mate.” 

The wolf raised his head, yipped and then looked expectantly at Jared.  _ “Jared, help.” _

_ “Don’t panic, everything will be alright.” _ Jared reached out again to run his fingers soothingly through Jensen’s fur. He could feel Jensen’s panic and confusion rising the longer he stayed in his wolf form. He lifted Jensen’s head, gently holding him by his muzzle as he spoke softly.  _ “Jensen, I’m right here with you, There’s no reason to panic.” _ He leaned down toward Jensen, resting his forehead against his. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.  _ “Breathe with me.”  _ When Jensen’s breathing matched his, he pulled away from him and let him go.  _ “Listen to the sound of my voice. Close your eyes and clear your mind. You need to relax.” _ He heard Jensen whimper and then felt him begin to relax.  _ “As your alpha and mate, I will always protect you. You saw yourself in your wolf form, now see yourself in your human form. See yourself as you always have always been.” _

Jensen settled on the bed next to Jared, he felt the weight of Jared’s hand on him and listened to the sound of his voice. He was soothed by the touch and Jared’s voice. Letting himself relax, knowing that Jared would protect him, he closed his eyes. He did as Jared had instructed, seeing himself as he had always been before, as human. He felt a tingling sensation, as if his limbs had fallen asleep and the blood was rushing back into them. He gave a startled cry in his human voice as he felt the cool sheets and the warmth of Jared’s body against his bare skin. “Jared,” he croaked out and felt Jared’s arms around him, hugging him to his body.

“It’s okay, you’re okay,” Jared assured him.

“How? What . . . what happened?” Jensen asked in confusion. “How was that even possible?”

Jared took a deep breath and began to explain what his mother had told him as a child. The story of a full-blooded wolf shifter and its half-breed mate. How they loved each other, despite their differences, and that once mated the half-breed - who had never been able to shift before - was able to do so after being claimed.

“You knew? Why didn’t you say anything?” Jensen questioned in dismay.

“I hoped, but it’s a tale my mother told me as a young pup. I didn’t say anything in case it was just that, a fairy tale. You’re my mate and I didn’t want to put any pressure on you. I didn’t want to get your hopes up in case you remained in your human form. Which, by the way, I find incredibly desirable. And, it didn’t matter to me before I claimed you as mine if you could shift. It still doesn’t. I love you for you, not for your ability to shift, or not,” Jared said and then kissed Jensen passionately to prove his point. “Never doubt that,” he murmured against Jensen’s lips as they broke apart. 

“Do you think I’ll always be able to shift now?” Jensen asked, his voice ringing with uncertainty.

“Only one way to find out,” Jared responded. “Remember what I told you, relax, clear your mind and see yourself in your wolf form. It’s the way we teach our young to shift.”

Taking a deep breath, Jensen followed Jared’s instructions. As he closed his eyes, he saw his hand. When he opened them, he saw his paw. He yipped in excitement and heard Jared chuckling at him. He turned to Jared, moved closer to him and used his tongue to lick across his face, causing Jared to sputter in surprise.  _ “Not so funny now, is it? _ ”

Jared used his forearm to wipe the slobber off his face.  _ “Okay, got it, don’t laugh at my mate.” _ He stroked Jensen’s forehead, running his fingers in the silver fur before Jensen shifted again.

“Okay, so now what?” Jensen asked.

“Now, how about we have breakfast and then check on the pack? I bet they’re gonna be in awe at seeing you when you change. There’s not another wolf in the pack with your silver fur.”

“Oh, and they’re not envious of you with that midnight black fur?” Jensen teased as he stood from the bed and pulled on his discarded jeans. He tossed Jared the sweatpants he had loaned him earlier and then disappeared into the hallway. “You coming or what?” he called out as he made his way into the kitchen to start on making their breakfast. He smiled at that thought, he was no longer alone. He had Jared, and they were mated for life. 

**Six months later:**

Jensen stood back as he admired the crib he had just finished staining. He had worked around the clock to get the special order finished and he was proud of what he had produced. He smiled and then rubbed at his eyes, trying to wipe away the tiredness from them. He rolled his head, feeling how sore his muscles were. He knew he was going to pay later for being hunched over for hours on end to be able to finish the piece as quickly as he had, but it had been worth it. The newest member of JD’s family would be arriving any time now. He needed to give the crib time to dry, which meant he had time to grab a shower and possibly a quick nap before he loaded it into his truck to drop it off. He hoped Hilarie liked it. There was still a chance she might not since JD had been the one to commission it without her input, but that was on JD, not him. He was so lost in thought that he hadn’t heard anyone come into his workshop.

Jared silently entered Jensen’s workshop and smiled at the sight in front of him. Jensen was clearly lost in thought and hadn’t noticed as he approached him. Gently, he wrapped his arms around Jensen’s trim waist and rested his chin on his shoulders, breathing in Jensen’s scent of wood, the stain he had been using and the unique sweet scent that was Jensen. “It’s beautiful,” he breathed into Jensen’s ear and smiled when Jensen hummed in response and relaxed into his touch. “Kind of like you.”

Jensen chuckled and turned in Jared’s arms so they were chest to chest, looking into each other’s eyes. “Thanks, I hope she likes it,” he responded not bothering to mask his uncertainty. He was just starting to grow his business in Bear Neck and any negative reviews could tank it before it even got off the ground. 

“Hilarie is going to love it,” Jared assured him before pulling him in for a kiss. “You need to get some rest. You’ve been at this for nearly two days. We can either go back to the cabin or the house, your choice.”

Since mating with Jared, things had changed for the better for both men. The pack had welcomed Jensen with open arms, treating him as if he had always been a member. Jensen had decided not to sell the house his aunt had left him. Part of the main floor of the house had been converted into a showroom for Jensen while the barn out back housed his workshop, with his tools, machines and wood he used for his business. They had also created and office for Jared where he wrote every day. Jensen also had an area that he used to draw his illustrations for Jared’s stories and his diagrams for the pieces he would later turn into finished works in wood. The second floor had been changed into a small apartment they used when they were too tired to make the drive or shift and run back to their cabin on packlands. 

Jensen felt Jared’s lips on his neck and closed his eyes. “The house. I need a shower before I do anything else,” Jensen responded in a tired voice. He felt Jared’s arms drop from his waist and then Jared’s hand taking his, leading him from his workshop to the back porch. Slowly they made their way upstairs and into the small apartment. 

Jared let go of Jensen’s hand and urged him toward the bathroom. “Go get cleaned up, by the time you get out, I’ll have some clean clothes for you.” He watched as Jensen nodded and disappeared into the bathroom. Hearing the water turn on, he went to their bureau and pulled out a clean t-shirt shirt, underwear and socks and a pair of sleep pants for Jensen to change into. He turned, ready to head into the bathroom to leave the clean clothes and remove the dirty ones to find Jensen standing there, only wrapped in a towel with droplets of water still on his pale freckled skin. He growled low in his throat at the sight of his mate.

Jensen looked up at Jared when he heard him growl. At first he wore a look of shock on his face, not understanding what had caused Jared to react that way. He hadn’t done anything to anger the alpha. The shock wore off, turning to a tired smile when he saw Jared staring at him intently, his eyes darkened with lust. “I . . . I just came out for my clothes,” he stammered out and then pointed to the clothes in Jared’s hands. Dropping his hand back down to his side, he stood still, waiting for Jared to make the first move. He was Jared’s mate and pack beta, but he was still learning about everything that went with his new role and new way of life. 

Jared took several breaths as he tried to get himself under control. Seeing his mate standing there, in nothing but a towel, had clouded his mind with desire for him, despite knowing how tired Jensen was. When he finally had himself under control he shook his head, “Yeah, sorry.” He gave Jensen a sheepish smile. “I was on my way in to drop these off and grab your dirty clothes.” He took a few steps toward Jensen and handed him the clothes. As soon as Jensen had the clothes in his hands Jared pressed himself against him, nosing at his neck and kissing over the mating bite before he pulled himself away. “Get dressed while I get your dirty clothes. I expect you in bed when I get back,” he said in a low voice as he let go of Jensen and moved away from him.

“Yes, alpha,” Jensen replied as he unwrapped the towel from his waist and let it drop to the floor. He waited a moment to see what Jared’s reaction would be. He knew he was tempting the man by exposing himself this way. He heard another low growl and Jared calling him a tease before disappearing from the room with his discarded towel.

With the wet towel in his hands, Jared quickly started to walk out of the room, only to call to Jensen over his shoulder, “You’re a tease,” as he walked into the bathroom to collect Jensen’s dirty clothes. He made the trip to the end of the hall where they had created a small laundry room and deposited the clothes into the clothes hamper before he returned to the bedroom to find Jensen in bed. He smiled when he saw Jensen curled up on his side with his head resting on his pillows and not the ones on Jensen’s side of the bed. He could hear Jensen’s even breathing, letting him know his mate had already fallen asleep. He leaned against the doorframe as he opened his mind to search for Christian and Chad. 

_ “Jared?” _ Christian responded.

_ “Are you with Chad?” _ Jared questioned and then heard Chad’s response.

_ “When isn’t he? He loves me, can’t get enough of me,” _ Chad teased. 

Choosing to ignore Chad’s attempt at taunting them both, he asked his question,  _ “Is everything alright with the pack? Have our borders been patrolled?” _

_ “Yes, Alpha, they have been, and everything’s fine,” _ Christian responded.

_ “I’ve checked on the pack and there are no issues,” _ Chad replied.

_ “Good. We’re staying in town for a few more hours. Jensen’s exhausted and I want him to rest,” _ Jared told the betas.

_ “We’ll let you know if there’s anything that needs your attention, but things are quiet and there shouldn’t be any problems,” _ Christian assured Jared.

_ “Take care of your mate. We’ll see you both when you get back,”  _ Chad responded.

_ “Thanks,” _ Jared replied before turning his attention back to his sleeping mate. He pushed himself off the doorframe and made his way over to the bed. He kicked off his shoes and climbed into bed, hoping to not wake Jensen as he did. He molded his body against Jensen’s, lying with his chest against Jensen’s back and gently placed an arm around his waist.

“Jared?” Jensen murmured in a sleep filled voice.

“Yeah, it’s just me. Nothing to worry about, I’ve got you,” he responded softly and heard Jensen’s contented sigh. He nosed at Jensen’s neck and placed a kiss over his mating bite before getting comfortable so he would be able to sleep as well. 

“Love you,” Jensen whispered as he drifted back to sleep.

“Love you, too. I always will,” Jared promised as he closed his eyes. He was content; he had his pack and his mate. He had everything he could ever want.


End file.
